You Will Remember Me

Started out very unassuming but ended full blast Misery by King, without his slow built or interesting characters. Read at your own risk.

I started You Will Remember Me two evenings ago, and devoured it from beginning to end. As you know, dear readers, I've been trying my best to get further and further into the psychological thriller genre. It has been a delight to slowly uncover new stories, and wind my way through the twisty minds of the authors who pen them. I'm happy to report that Hannah Mary McKinnon has written a book that is a quick and enjoyable read.

The characters here aren't necessarily likable, but I did find them to be realistic which is almost more important. As a character, Ash became more and more gruff as the story progressed. His frustration made sense to me, as he was basically relying on everyone around him to tell him what was real. Which made Maya's character even more terrifying, as she was the one responsible for taking care of Ash as he was recovering. It begs the question as to whether you can ever truly trust your memories. Whether they are the ones that you think you remember on your own, or they are the ones that others have fed you. The dynamic between Ash and Maya was uncomfortable, but in a way that made this story compulsively readable.

Now, I will say honestly that I did mostly figure out the ending before it arrived. This is the type of story that hints rather heavily at what is to come, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Instead, McKinnon uses this as a way to keep the reader engaged so see if they're being tempted off course. As Ash regains his memories, bit by bit, the reader is treated to more pieces of the puzzle. I had a lot of fun slowly putting them together to see if I actually knew what the picture would ultimately be. You may be just as surprised as I was, that what emerges is not quite what you expected it to be.

I can attest that this is one of those books that you will absolutely fly through. The quick moving plot will pull you in, and tug you along without mercy. Trust me when I say that you probably don't want to start this right before bed, or you may not sleep at all. You Will Remember Me is a solid, if not completely standout, entry in the psychological thriller genre. I look forward to what Hannah Mary McKinnon has in store next!

Misery Loves Company. McKinnon gets bold, trying to tell one cohesive story from three separate primary perspectives - and largely having it work. The ending itself isn't quite as mind-bending as her 2020 release Sister Dear, and perhaps elements of it are in fact fairly well established much earlier in the text. But it also isn't quite so predictable as some other reviewers make it seem, as many of the actual details aren't really known until McKinnon actively reveals them. And then that ending. Mind-bending? No. But showing that McKinnon has balls bigger than many male authors? Absolutely. ;) Very much recommended.