Book Review
I Know My Name
CJ Cooke
Published by Harper Collins 15.06.2017
I gave this book 4/5 stars.
Whilst on a business trip, Lochlan is informed that his wife Eloise has gone missing from their home in Twickenham. London. She has left without any of her possessions, money or bank cards but more importantly, she has left her two young children in their home alone.
Lochlan is a career minded businessman and soon learns that not only does he not know his children well, but his wife has another side to her life which he is unaware of too.
Meanwhile, on the remote Kommeno Island, Eloise’s body has washed ashore. Four strangers on a writing retreat find her and take her to recuperate in their holiday cottage. Eloise has complete amnesia and distrusts the individuals whose behaviour is unnerving and erratic.
The island is bleak and mysterious with derelict buildings and treacherous weather conditions. Eloise is lonely, troubled and disturbed as she desperately tries to recollect the slightest bit of information about herself.
Gerda and Magnus, Eloise’s grandparents are drafted in to help with the children. Gerda is straight talking, judgemental and dislikes Lochlan. Magnus has a quieter, more contemplative personality.
The book alternates between Lochlan and Eloise’s stories, both are spellbinding with hidden mysteries springing up throughout. Some chapters refer to Eloise’s childhood in Geneva and England. These chapters help build up a more detailed understanding of Eloise and how her childhood shaped her later life.
A riveting debut psychological thriller by C.J. Cooke in which the reader is drawn into a tangled web of mystery and intrigue. It is difficult to rest until the outcome unfolds and the mystery solved. The plot is tight but I would have preferred the ending to be more dynamic.
A television adaptation is being produced.
Here is an excerpt from the book:
“I peel off the pyjamas that Hazel lent me and study the naked woman in the small shaving mirror above the sink. This woman who is me. She is Caucasian, slender, somewhere between thirty and forty with thick honey blonde hair to her shoulders”
This book was sent to me by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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