My second read of 2020 was Mr. Nobody by Catherine Steadman
Plot Summary: A man is found on the beach with no memory of who he is or how he got there. All he knows is that there is a woman he needs to find. Dr. Emma Lewis is a neuropsychiatrist asked to consult on the man’s case. It’s the case of a lifetime for her. The only problem? The patient is in Emma’s hometown, which she left due to a tragedy over a decade ago. The patient is first dubbed “Mr. Nobody” and it’s up to Emma to decide whether he is faking his symptoms or really suffering from a fugue state. Soon, it becomes clear that there is something different about Mr. Nobody (or Matthew as he is later called). He knows things about the people in the hospital that he shouldn’t know including the secrets of Emma’s past tragedy. Oh and the woman he knows he needs to find….it’s Emma.
Category: Mystery/Thriller
My Review: First let me say a big thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing – Ballatine for providing me with a free ARC of this book! It was my first experience with NetGalley and an ARC book and I am hooked! I loved having this opportunity! Hoping that I get the chance to review more books in the future 🙂
I read this one in one day and I literally could not put it down! I love psychological thrillers, especially ones where I have no idea where the story is going or how it is going to end. The author did a great job of slowly revealing details on the main character’s difficult past. She also did a great job of keeping you guessing as to who Matthew was, how he knew the things he knew, and whether he was going to regain his memory. I can honestly say that I had no clue how this story was going to play out in the end between Emma and Matthew. And as one who reads a ton of thrillers that is saying a lot for the author’s writing style and plot development! What I didn’t like was honestly the ending itself. I still have so many questions about Matthew and wish the ending would have played out differently for him and Emma. I feel like the ending could have been explained a little bit more in terms of Matthew and who he was and why he did what he did. I was happy for Emma’s self reflection at the end and the fact that she seemed at peace. Overall a good read!
Disclaimer: I would say R rated solely for language reasons. There is definitely foul language, although it does not appear too frequently. I have abandoned books in the past where the language was too much for me, and that was not the case for this book.
Do You Read Me?: I would say yes! I am dying to know what others think of this book and whether they were satisfied by the ending. It wasn’t a bad ending, just one that I feel was a little rushed and somewhat confusing. I definitely think we needed a little more explanation about Matthew’s condition.