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jessicamap's review against another edition
4.0
What My Body Remembers by Agnete Friis is not your typical Nordic Noir type thriller. It's not a heavy police procedural and doesn't involve a lengthy investigation from the perspective of police detectives. In fact, it doesn't involve any of those elements at all. It sticks to the flawed perspective of our lead character.
Ella Nygaard has been a ward of the state since she was 7 years old, since the night her father murdered her mother. Now at age 27, she doesn't remember any specifics about that night or even from her childhood before that night. She doesn't remember, but her body does, in the form of PTSD. The PTSD-induced panic attacks she now suffers incapacitate her for hours, and sometimes days at a time which is impacting her ability to care for herself and her young son.
After one particularly bad episode, Ella finds herself in a psych ward. She soon discovers that her son, Alex, has been taken from her by the state and placed with a foster family. Driven by desperation, Ella kidnaps Alex and flees to her grandmother's abandoned house. Being back in the small town forces Ella to confront the demons of her childhood that her memory has tried so hard to obscure. What really happened that night her mother died? Was her grandmother right, was Ella's father unjustly convicted? What other secrets were her parents hiding from each other? If Ella can start to remember, maybe her scars will begin to heal or maybe the truth will put her in even greater danger.
This was definitely more of an atmospheric thriller. We go through the story in the eyes of Ella, with some flashbacks through her parents' perspectives. If you're looking for the fast-paced, edge of your seat type thriller, then this probably isn't the one you're looking for. This is a very bleak and emotional read. We have a lead character that is incredibly flawed and unreliable. You can't relate to her or even try to like her (I actually can't think of any of the characters that had that 'likeable' trait to them). This keeps the characters real, emotional, and reminds the reader that no one is perfect.
I give this one a solid 4/5 stars. I'll definitely look for more from Agnete Friis in the future.
A big thanks to SoHo Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Ella Nygaard has been a ward of the state since she was 7 years old, since the night her father murdered her mother. Now at age 27, she doesn't remember any specifics about that night or even from her childhood before that night. She doesn't remember, but her body does, in the form of PTSD. The PTSD-induced panic attacks she now suffers incapacitate her for hours, and sometimes days at a time which is impacting her ability to care for herself and her young son.
After one particularly bad episode, Ella finds herself in a psych ward. She soon discovers that her son, Alex, has been taken from her by the state and placed with a foster family. Driven by desperation, Ella kidnaps Alex and flees to her grandmother's abandoned house. Being back in the small town forces Ella to confront the demons of her childhood that her memory has tried so hard to obscure. What really happened that night her mother died? Was her grandmother right, was Ella's father unjustly convicted? What other secrets were her parents hiding from each other? If Ella can start to remember, maybe her scars will begin to heal or maybe the truth will put her in even greater danger.
This was definitely more of an atmospheric thriller. We go through the story in the eyes of Ella, with some flashbacks through her parents' perspectives. If you're looking for the fast-paced, edge of your seat type thriller, then this probably isn't the one you're looking for. This is a very bleak and emotional read. We have a lead character that is incredibly flawed and unreliable. You can't relate to her or even try to like her (I actually can't think of any of the characters that had that 'likeable' trait to them). This keeps the characters real, emotional, and reminds the reader that no one is perfect.
I give this one a solid 4/5 stars. I'll definitely look for more from Agnete Friis in the future.
A big thanks to SoHo Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
bitterindigo's review
4.0
This wasn't a traditional mystery - there wasn't any 'shocking final twist', and the protagonist is unlikable and hard to sympathize with. I don't say this as a criticism. There was a lot of really good stuff here, about living in poverty, living with addiction, addiction as self-medication, religion as a tool of abuse, and messed-up family dynamics. Ella isn't likable, but all of her negative traits are completely understandable. Really sad, but really well done.
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