A review by notlikethebeer
I Did It For You by Amy Engel

5.0

 Despite my (admittedly hard-back) copy of this appearing quite chunky, this was a super quick read - I started and finished it in an evening, both because it was so gripping, and because it was an easy enough read, at least in terms of readability. Unfortunately, I read an unmarked spoiler for the ending of this before I'd barely even started it, and that definitely affected my enjoyment of it :( Having said that, my reflexes were good enough to close the screen before I saw the what/why etc., so I still enjoyed reading it to find out all of those answers. And to be honest, the merit of this book comes almost less from the thriller aspects, and more from the quiet exploration of tragedy. The humanization of all of the characters was really stand-out, particularly within this genre; the balance and nuance with which this was handled was stunning. I really loved the inclusion of Dean, Roy's brother, and looking at how the same tragedy impacted someone you might see as being on the "other side" - the ways he felt - and was held - responsible, yet the ways he too was grieving and hurting and trying to make sense of the wreckage. There's an acknowledgement at the end for the people Amy Engel defended, and the lessons they taught her, and I think that really shone through in the writing. I also really liked the closing sentiment: the anti-climaticness of it, the way that sometimes awful, life-changing atrocities happen, and yet the reasons can be so insignificant. I will absolutely be reading more by Amy Engel.