The Day I Lost You

This book reminded me why I started a blog… on flicking through the first few pages I realised I’d read Kearney’s first novel ‘You, Me and Other People’ and I generally couldn’t remember anything about the book other than it was good. Some might argue that it couldn’t have been that good if I couldn’t remember the plot but I would disagree, I think there’s a difference between a book being good and a book being memorable. I’ve read tonnes of Grisham’s work and loved every book but if you pointed to one and asked me what the plot was and the key characters, I’d struggle without a prompt from the blurb. There are only a few books that I remember the plots clearly from; the Harry Potter books being a prime example, but I do wonder if I remember the plots because of the book alone or if it’s due to the continuous chatter about them….anyway that’s enough food for thought, back to the book!

Anna is reported missing presumed dead in an avalanche, leaving Jess to look after her granddaughter Rose. As hope for Anna’s return dwindles, long term plans for Rose need to be decided and it turns out that Anna has been hiding a pretty big secret – who is the real father of Rose!

This was a heartbreaking and moving story, with grieving Jess having to deal with revelation after revelation of a daughter she thought she knew. I think because I tend to read thrillers, I’m very aware of the fact that if you’re over half way through a book, one of the characters you’ve already met is going to be the perpetrator (in 90% of plots), so unfortunately my detective brain had clicked on pretty early who Rose’s father was – there aren’t usually as many plot twists in this genre. Nevertheless, I did enjoy this story and it’s the perfect bedtime/airplane/beach read because of the flowing nature of the plot.

I particularly enjoyed how Kearney included the use of a blog in this plot – Anna used a blog to write down her feelings towards her relationship with him (Rose’s true father) and when Jess discovers the site, she’s devastated that Anna would so easily share these thoughts on the web and hide them from her family and friends. It’s a fascinating and current topic; whilst my family and friends are aware of my blog, I know many people keep their blogs private – wishing to use it as a platform to unload and seek guidance without being judged by the people they see every day – I can fully understand this but what about how hurtful it is for these people when they discover it? I suppose the question this book is trying to answer is: Are some secrets best left alone? I’m a firm believer that the truth should be told even if the consequences are emotionally and physically catastrophic; the longer a secret is kept, the larger the consequences.

This is definitely a ‘good book’ but is it memorable?…ask me in a year if I can remember it and therein lies the answer!

Until next time, Chloé x