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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
emotional
mysterious
tense
I had an... experience reading this book. I knew going into it that the narrator was going to be unreliable. It's in the premise. Emily, who has bipolar disorder, is the only witness to her boyfriend, Paolo's disappearance off a boat in the middle of a lake, but she's hardly a witness. She didn't see what happened. Was she taking her medication? Was she drunk? Was he drunk? Where could he have gone without a trace? Without any other explanations, she becomes the prime suspect in his murder. Don't worry. This is hardly a spoiler as it happens almost immediately.
But as the story starts to unfold, as she maintains that circumstances around Paolo's disappearance are nothing short of fishy, as she starts to forget to take her medication, her thoughts and behaviors start to spiral. And here is where the really interesting thing happened: she is such an unreliable narrator that I actually started to feel like I was losing my mind trying to navigate this book. I can't imagine this was anything other than intentional on the author's part.
If that's true, color me impressed. It started slowly. Little plot discrepancies that made me stop. Did I read that wrong? I thought to myself so many times. Was this discussed before? How did they know? Then came the bigger things. It was seven o'clock on one page and then suddenly on the next, it was two hours later. She was waiting for something and the length of time she had left to wait didn't change in those two hours. The fuck is going on? I thought. Then it happened on the same page, lines apart. She was 10 in a memory, and what, three sentences later, she was eight. She wasn't sleeping; she was putting off her medication. Her friend, who seemed completely rational, was suddenly engaging in her irrational behavior with her. It's making me anxious just thinking about it. (Note: this feels incredibly realistic. I've known people like this. Who would barely sleep for days, refused medication, tried to explain to me the hallucinations—only sometimes knowing something was a hallucination, the other times absolutely convinced it was the truth).
But then, that makes me wonder what else in the story was even true. I believe the general path of the story, but what along the journey was real? Who even was real? I have questions. I have a lot of questions.
This book was a ride. Once it really got going, it was fast-paced and the suspense really notched up. I didn't guess the ending at all, but I'm terrible at that. 4/5 stars. I am deeply unsettled.
But as the story starts to unfold, as she maintains that circumstances around Paolo's disappearance are nothing short of fishy, as she starts to forget to take her medication, her thoughts and behaviors start to spiral. And here is where the really interesting thing happened: she is such an unreliable narrator that I actually started to feel like I was losing my mind trying to navigate this book. I can't imagine this was anything other than intentional on the author's part.
If that's true, color me impressed. It started slowly. Little plot discrepancies that made me stop. Did I read that wrong? I thought to myself so many times. Was this discussed before? How did they know? Then came the bigger things. It was seven o'clock on one page and then suddenly on the next, it was two hours later. She was waiting for something and the length of time she had left to wait didn't change in those two hours. The fuck is going on? I thought. Then it happened on the same page, lines apart. She was 10 in a memory, and what, three sentences later, she was eight. She wasn't sleeping; she was putting off her medication. Her friend, who seemed completely rational, was suddenly engaging in her irrational behavior with her. It's making me anxious just thinking about it. (Note: this feels incredibly realistic. I've known people like this. Who would barely sleep for days, refused medication, tried to explain to me the hallucinations—only sometimes knowing something was a hallucination, the other times absolutely convinced it was the truth).
But then, that makes me wonder what else in the story was even true. I believe the general path of the story, but what along the journey was real? Who even was real? I have questions. I have a lot of questions.
This book was a ride. Once it really got going, it was fast-paced and the suspense really notched up. I didn't guess the ending at all, but I'm terrible at that. 4/5 stars. I am deeply unsettled.
And Then You Were Gone by R L Jacobs is a psychological thriller that takes the reader on a rollercoaster journey to the truth. Through the eyes (and bipolar mind) of Emily Firestone, we follow her as she trys to solve the mystery of her boyfriends disappearance.
Loved this book and especially loved the view into what it is like to be Bipolar. The internal monologue was fascinating!
Loved this book and especially loved the view into what it is like to be Bipolar. The internal monologue was fascinating!
And Then You Were Gone by R.J. Jacobs is a suspenseful mystery about a psychologist whose boyfriend goes missing during a weekend getaway.
Dr. Emily Firestone overcomes her fear of water in order to enjoy a sailing weekend with her boyfriend, Paolo Fererra. After a fun day on the lake, Emily awakens to next morning to find that Paolo has vanished. Her bipolar disorder immediately begins to spiral out of control due to her lack of sleep and extreme stress. Already convinced Paolo's death is from foul play, Emily's suspicions are confirmed when his lab coworker, Sandy Harrison, reaches out to her to investigate some irregularities she has uncovered. Before long, the police are taking a second look at Emily when people connected to her begin to die. Will Emily find out the truth about what happened to Paolo before it is too late?
Emily is a well-respected child psychologist whose bipolar II disorder has been well-controlled for quite some time. She relies on a strict medication regime to keep her bipolar disorder in check but her erratic behavior soon plunges her into a manic state. Soon after Paolo's disappearance, she makes a series of ill-advised decisions that jeopardize her mental health and her career. Emily is not able to distinguish between fact and fantasy as she begins experiencing paranoia as she skips her medicine and gives up sleep in order to find out what happened to Paolo.
Emily is already on the edge when Sandy brings her puzzling information she has unearthed at the lab where she and Paolo are working on a vaccine for a deadly virus. Emily's anxiety levels begin to spike as she impatiently waits for Sandy to retrieve proof they can take to the authorities. Fully immersed in a hypo-manic state, Emily races headlong into danger as she frantically attempts to understand what happened to Paolo and why. Even more troubling is the warning she receives from her best friend that Emily is becoming more than just a person of interest in the events swirling around Paolo's disappearance.
And Then You Were Gone is a fast-paced and compelling mystery starring an increasingly unreliable narrator. Emily's need for answers is understandable but her refusal to take her medication becomes a bit tedious. With plenty of tension, a few red herrings and some shocking twists, R.J. Jacobs brings this perplexing mystery to an action-packed conclusion. An excellent mystery that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend to fans of the genre.
Dr. Emily Firestone overcomes her fear of water in order to enjoy a sailing weekend with her boyfriend, Paolo Fererra. After a fun day on the lake, Emily awakens to next morning to find that Paolo has vanished. Her bipolar disorder immediately begins to spiral out of control due to her lack of sleep and extreme stress. Already convinced Paolo's death is from foul play, Emily's suspicions are confirmed when his lab coworker, Sandy Harrison, reaches out to her to investigate some irregularities she has uncovered. Before long, the police are taking a second look at Emily when people connected to her begin to die. Will Emily find out the truth about what happened to Paolo before it is too late?
Emily is a well-respected child psychologist whose bipolar II disorder has been well-controlled for quite some time. She relies on a strict medication regime to keep her bipolar disorder in check but her erratic behavior soon plunges her into a manic state. Soon after Paolo's disappearance, she makes a series of ill-advised decisions that jeopardize her mental health and her career. Emily is not able to distinguish between fact and fantasy as she begins experiencing paranoia as she skips her medicine and gives up sleep in order to find out what happened to Paolo.
Emily is already on the edge when Sandy brings her puzzling information she has unearthed at the lab where she and Paolo are working on a vaccine for a deadly virus. Emily's anxiety levels begin to spike as she impatiently waits for Sandy to retrieve proof they can take to the authorities. Fully immersed in a hypo-manic state, Emily races headlong into danger as she frantically attempts to understand what happened to Paolo and why. Even more troubling is the warning she receives from her best friend that Emily is becoming more than just a person of interest in the events swirling around Paolo's disappearance.
And Then You Were Gone is a fast-paced and compelling mystery starring an increasingly unreliable narrator. Emily's need for answers is understandable but her refusal to take her medication becomes a bit tedious. With plenty of tension, a few red herrings and some shocking twists, R.J. Jacobs brings this perplexing mystery to an action-packed conclusion. An excellent mystery that I greatly enjoyed and highly recommend to fans of the genre.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
This was the first book I've read from this author (not sure if he has more or not..I will research after I write my review) I am looking forward to reading his others
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes