Author: Alice Feeney
Publisher: HQ
Publishing date: 31 May 2019
Language: English
Pages: 384
Country: England, Ireland
Rating: 3.5/5
“Life is like a game of chess; you just have to play it backwards and work out all the moves you need to make in advance, to get where you need to be.”
The above quote from Alice Feeney’s second thriller perfectly sums up its plot in these few, short lines. Dark, twisted and beyond shocking is how I want to describe I Know Who You Are. But..yes there is a ‘but’ and its not a good one. I was too excited for this novel and I think that’s why it fell flat for me.
I Know Who You Are comprises of two stories. Aimee Sinclair is an actress who has finally got her big break. She is on the verge of becoming famous. Just a few days before her film finishes shooting, she comes home and finds that her husband Ben has disappeared. His cell phone and wallet is on the table. That’s strange because he never goes anywhere without it. Aimee is not worried- they have had a huge fight the night before. They both said things they didn’t mean. So, she goes for her usual morning run and stops at her favourite coffee shop. But her card is declined. Later she finds out that her account has been emptied of 10,000 pounds. Aimee immediately suspects Ben but the officials tell her that it was she who closed her account. Aimee can’t seem to remember doing this. Thus begins a hellish nightmare from which Aimee can’t seem to wake up. Alternating with Aimee’s tale is the story of a little girl who wandered far from home. How are these these two stories connected? Does the little girl cross paths with Aimee?
Alice Feeney’s debut thriller Sometimes I Lie was mind-boggling with killer twists and a great ending. I Know Who You Are too had that potential but fell flat in the end. The plot is racy with some really good twists. The chapters are short and each has a small twist in the end. Aimee Sinclair is the ultimate unreliable narrator. The other characters are well-drawn out and Feeney has done a great job in building up the suspense. I Know Who You Are is an extremely well-written thriller with complex characters and sub-plots until till its end.
Yes, the only drawback of I Know Who You Are is its denouement. I don’t want to give away any spoilers here so apologies for being vague. I disliked the ending. I found it implausible, which I am sure is an unpopular opinion. I usually like thrillers where the spouse goes missing, but it didn’t work in this novel. Everything we come to know about Ben just points out the fact that he was a horrible person and an abusive husband. The suspense of him being gone just wasn’t there.
I personally, did not like I Know Who You Are but I will recommend it to readers who are looking for a dark, twisted and absorbing read. I am fan of Alice Feeney and I am looking forward to more thrillers by her.
