I just finished reading “I Am Not Who You Think I Am”, by Eric Rickstad. I want to thank NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
First of all, let me say that I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I was intrigued by the title and it did not dissapoint. This book is all about how we are not what or who people think we are, that we hide behind secrets and lies and missed opportunities. Furthermore, sometimes finding out the truth can be more devastating than finding out that people haven’t been honest with us in the first place. Sometimes, as this story shows, secrets are meant to be kept hidden, for the betterment of all involved.
The story takes us through the life of a young boy who sees his father commit suicide. He finds a note at his father’s feet that says “I am not you you think I am”.. Years pass and one day, he decides to find out the mystery behind the note.
What follows are a series of missteps and revelations that both broke my heart and kept me reading, because the mystery was so well written and described by the author, that I felt like I was part of the action itself.
Eric Rickstad is a phenomenal writer. He has an incredible ability to create a setting that places the reader inside not just the setting but in the minds and hearts of the characters. He created such believable and complex characters that had such a rich history that I was drawn into the mystery and wanted so badly for the truth to be revealed that I read this book in a matter or days, stealing every moment I could to continue in the journey of the mystery in the book.
It is not a happy book. At times I felt uncomfortable with the events in the novel, but it is steeped in the realistic nature of relationships between parents and their children, and between children and adults. It made me think about how far I would go to protect my own children from learning terrible truths about me. In the end, it is a piece of fiction with obviously villanous characters but must of the characters are broken and are in the search for acceptance and truth.
This book is different from most I have read, because all the characters are flawed and some are not redeemable. But that is the type of book I enjoy. It was a great reading experience, and I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre.
#NetGalley #psychologicalthriller #mysterythriller #ericrickstad #familysecrets #iamnotwhoyouthinkiam #mustread
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