From the bookshelf of Q&A with Michelle Richmond…

No One You Know by Michelle Richmond

Why we're reading this: About the book (from Booklist):
As in her previous two novels, Dream of the Blue Room (2003) and the best-selling Year of Fog (2007),Richmond turns a family crisis into heartbreaking and compelling reading. Ellie Enderlin has never recovered from the unsolved murder of h…more
[close] About the book (from Booklist):
As in her previous two novels, Dream of the Blue Room (2003) and the best-selling Year of Fog (2007),Richmond turns a family crisis into heartbreaking and compelling reading. Ellie Enderlin has never recovered from the unsolved murder of her sister, Lila, a Stanford math prodigy, some 20 years earlier. The day her sister went missing has become "the touchstone from which all other events unfurled." Compounding the tragedy is the fact that her English professor, the person to whom she confided some of her most intimate feelings about her shy, private sister, has turned the tragedy into a best-selling true-crime book. To have those moments turned into fodder for the public's voyeuristic appetite has felt like another violation. When Ellie, a world traveler and coffee buyer, meets up unexpectedly with the brilliant mathematician implicated in her sister's murder, she sees it as a way to wrest back control of her own narrative and solve the crime. Richmond gracefully weaves in fascinating background material on the coffee culture and the field of mathematics as she thoughtfully explores family dynamics, the ripple effects of tragedy, and the importance of the stories we tell. Combine all that with perfect pacing and depth of insight, and you have a thoroughly riveting literary thriller. ~Joanne Wilkison -- Booklist, starred review [close]

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May 07, 2008

Lisa Vegan rated it:

bookshelves: fiction, gr-authors, novels, reviewed, san-francisco, top-100

Read in September, 2008

recommends it for: all those who appreciate a good novel, Michelle Richmond fans

It’s official: I am a huge fan of Michelle Richmond’s writing style, and of her storytelling, and especially the characters she creates and the subject matter she chooses. My admiration for her The Year of Fog was not a fluke; I was wowed by this book also. (I plan to read her other older published novel and book of short stories, and any other writing she creates that I can get my hands on.)

In this novel the author has profound truths to say about stories, life, and loss, and I...more It’s official: I am a huge fan of Michelle Richmond’s writing style, and of her storytelling, and especially the characters she creates and the subject matter she chooses. My admiration for her The Year of Fog was not a fluke; I was wowed by this book also. (I plan to read her other older published novel and book of short stories, and any other writing she creates that I can get my hands on.)

In this novel the author has profound truths to say about stories, life, and loss, and I don’t think I’m using hyperbole by claiming that.

It was written beautifully and includes more than a smattering of incredibly lovely sentences. If I hadn’t been so eager to keep reading I’d have given in to the temptation to note a couple of them so I’d remember them long after reading the book.

On page 196 of this book there’s a very, very funny reference to her previous novel The Year of Fog, done without naming its title, showing an impeccable sense of humor but not deserving of the jabs she took at that book, in my opinion. Having that passage in this book gave wonderful comic relief for those readers who have already read her The Year of Fog.

I guess these two books are mysteries of a sort, although I have them tagged as fiction. I realize that the books I have tagged as mystery are generally those that are part of a mystery series and these are stand alone novels, but they are literary mysteries.

My main gripe was that while reading this book many times I wanted to call out: No, don’t go there alone. No, don’t confront that person yourself. I’m not sure that those parts of the story were flawed; it may be that it’s just that in some circumstances I’m a complete wimp and overly cautious.

But overall, this was a very satisfying read. I really love how in her novels I learn all sorts of new things about the world, something that I don’t find in all fiction. (In The Year of Fog it was photography and memory; in this book it was coffee and mathematics.)

This book has made me think a great deal about the stories I've told and tell myself about my own history and about my own life. It's a very thought provoking read.

Addendum: I just got hold of a paperback edition of this book and it has a particularly good reader’s guide in the back. In addition to the commonly added discussion questions, which are excellent here, there’s other very unique material. There’s a conversation between the author and her two sisters and they talk about not only this book but The Year of Fog and Richmond’s other books too. Having this included is of particular interest because No One You Know is about two sisters, and their relationship is an important part of the story. The author states she thinks music is an important part of a book club meeting and there’s a wonderful No One You Know playlist included; each song has some explanatory information about why it’s included. Now, I’ve never seen anything like this in the back of a book! There are also two recipes for coffee cocktails, also a lot of fun since coffee has such a prominent place in this book. These inclusions are all very satisfying.
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Jun 12, 2008

Meg rated it:

bookshelves: book-club

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: everyone

Toward the end of this incredibly moving literary mystery, the storyteller and Ellie is a storyteller; narrator is far too sterile a word for what is going on here comes to the realization that stories aren t set in stone. I don t know if that is a universal truth, provable to the irrefutable certainty demanded by the mathematician characters in No One You Know, but it is clearly true about the story told in these wonderful pages. This story is set in something far richer: fertile literary ...more

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Jul 06, 2008

Suzanne rated it:

Read in July, 2008

Michelle Richmond was one of my graduate school teachers, as well as a member of my thesis committee. These side notes made her book all the more enjoyable to read, and all the more difficult to review.

So, very quickly, a fact: I read No One You Know, from start to finish, in one day.

As for my opinions: I found the book to be smartly written in clean, precise language, which I always appreciate. No One You Know, much like Richmond's previous novel, The Year of Fog, was ...more Michelle Richmond was one of my graduate school teachers, as well as a member of my thesis committee. These side notes made her book all the more enjoyable to read, and all the more difficult to review.

So, very quickly, a fact: I read No One You Know, from start to finish, in one day.

As for my opinions: I found the book to be smartly written in clean, precise language, which I always appreciate. No One You Know, much like Richmond's previous novel, The Year of Fog, was easy to become taken with - as opposed to my usual attempts at reading, which often end in napping. Richmond writes with authority and seeming technical expertise on such varied subjects as mathematics, coffee, literature, music and more. Granted, while the sections on mathematics felt a bit researched (as they should, lest you accuse your author of feeding you false information), I appreciated that mathematic theorems and conjectures were as lost on the protagonist, Ellie, as they were on me. I felt Richmond structured her book as neatly as she tied up her loose ends, but nothing felt convenient or contrived. The book centers around Ellie trying to find out who killed her sister, twenty years earlier, and by the time I reached the conclusion of her search, I was not surprised by who it was, but by how.

What I want to say, and am not sure how to, has something to do with all the elements of the writing that were not seemingly central to the plot. (Or perhaps they were, given the character's ruminations on storytelling and life: "Life isn't just about the major characters and big events. It's about everyone, everything, in between." -- all those things that are hard to remember, or are unexpected, or are seemingly meaningless but are still a part of what happens.) What I mean to say is that I found Ellie an utterly reliable character, and whether it was Richmond's perspective, or Ellie's, or mine -- I felt an affection towards, and wonder at, living in such a city as San Francisco while I read, with its Victorian windows and damp fog, and strange but often kind people. I liked the way Richmond's details seemed well-placed and thoughtful, like the way Ellie's character always notes the way things smell. It isn't this characteristic, literally, that helps her solve the mystery, it is just something about her that was consistent and constant throughout the novel. I also appreciated that the characters all had such different professions - coffee cupping, academia, law, etc. and that Richmond quoted mathematicians and writers; it affirmed that feeling of the world being an interesting place, where there are so many things to become passionate about and well-versed in.

Ultimately, I'm glad that this book is a work of fiction. Yet, at the same time, the kind of thing that happens in this book happens in real life, which is what makes the book both frightening and poignant. While reading I thought about my own life and fears. I wondered at the people whom I spend time thinking about, and not knowing whom I've met might that might think of me. It made me feel as I often feel - that life is complicated, and yet also beautiful, and that bad things happen, and that good things happen too, and that so many of us are very lucky, whether or not you believe in chance.(less)

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Oct 23, 2008

Jacki rated it:

Read in October, 2008

I read this in just a couple of sittings. It sucked me in from the beginning and hooked me til the end. I loved how she talked about the elements of stories within her story. It was like she was writing to the reader.

The story itself was a major draw: her sister was murdered 20 years ago- the guy accused of killing her appears in this random restaurant in this random city and says he didn't do it- gives her his sister's notebook- she is intrigued, tries to find who had murdered ...more

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Jun 26, 2008

Toni rated it:

bookshelves: general-fiction, mystery-suspense

Read in July, 2008

I really appreciate a truly well written book, and No One You Know definitely fits that criteria. This follows The Year of Fog, and should solidly place Michelle Richmond in the company of other exceptional writers of her time.

I am only left to wonder what happens with Henry.... Hm-m-m-m

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Oct 03, 2008

Laurel-Rain rated it:

Read in November, 2008

“A Story Has No Beginning or End…” this is a quote from an English professor who writes a bestselling novel.

For more than twenty years, Ellie Enderlin has lived in the shadow of her sister’s murder. Before that, her life was overshadowed by Lila, her brilliant mathematical genius of a sister.

Lila always knew her path – one that included a professional quest for proof of mathematical theorems. Ellie floundered, unsure of her direction.

In the months f...more “A Story Has No Beginning or End…” this is a quote from an English professor who writes a bestselling novel.

For more than twenty years, Ellie Enderlin has lived in the shadow of her sister’s murder. Before that, her life was overshadowed by Lila, her brilliant mathematical genius of a sister.

Lila always knew her path – one that included a professional quest for proof of mathematical theorems. Ellie floundered, unsure of her direction.

In the months following the murder, Ellie turned to someone she considered a friend – Andrew Thorpe, an English professor and a great listener – only to find herself betrayed when he turned her confidences into a novel that became a bestseller. In the novel, he named one of Lila’s colleagues (and her lover) as the murderer. However, the police had never arrested anyone for the murder.

Pursuing her own career now as a professional coffee buyer, Ellie’s work takes her to far-flung places, including Nicaragua, and it is here that she first sees Peter McConnell, a self-imposed recluse who has escaped the prying eyes of those who have read about him in the book – “Murder By the Bay” – and also to distance himself from the tragedy of a life cut short.

Conversing with him, Ellie learns that Lila had left behind a notebook, one that she always carried with her. It included many of her mathematical equations.

When Ellie also comes to question that Peter McConnell actually committed the crime, she begins a quest – one that leads her back to San Francisco and surrounding areas, meeting and interviewing and finally arriving at her own conclusions about what happened.

Will Ellie find the truth? Will the mathematical equations Lila sought to prove finally reach realization? And what will Ellie rediscover about her relationship with her sister and about her own somewhat superficial connections to others?

This tale is much more than a crime novel – it is a story of life interrupted. Not just the life of the murdered girl, but the sister left behind, whose own connections with her sister were severed by another person’s actions. It is also a story of betrayal, secrets and, finally, a peaceful resolution.

Like Richmond’s previous novel “The Year of Fog”, this story is gripping and compulsively readable.

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Aug 10, 2008

Bonnie rated it:

Read in January, 2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Aug 16, 2008

Kathleen added it

bookshelves: 2008-audio-books, 2008-mysteries-suspense

Read in August, 2008

No One You Know, by Michelle Richmond, B-plus, narrated by Carrington McDuffy,

This is the story of Ellie Enderlin, whose sister was murdered. Lila had been the smart one, a math prodigy from whom great things were expected. Ellie didn’t seem destined to be famous for anything. Ellie was 20 when her older sister disappeared. Her body was found in a couple of days. Her family was decimated, her parents divorced, and Ellie spent the next 20 years trying to live with Lila’s dea...more

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Nov 21, 2008

Johnna rated it:

Read in November, 2008

I picked up the book without having heard anything about it from the library. The cover pulled me and and the summary sounded good so I thought why not? I have found that some of these books with no expectations turn out to be the best!

I loved the writing style and the overall story. I liked how it was a mystery without really being a mystery story. It was more about finding out who she really was while remembering her sisters murder.

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Oct 31, 2008

Jodie rated it:

Read in June, 2009

Secrets, we all have them, we all keep them from someone at some point. Memories, we hold them like treasures sometimes reluctant to share them with others because we're afraid if we do, they'll fade and we'll be left with nothing.

This story of a woman who revisits what happened with the death of her sister 20 years ago examines the nature of secrets and memories and how well we really know others, even those closest to us.

Michelle Richmond skillfully weaves details about...more

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Jul 14, 2008

Laura rated it:

michelle reminds me that reading and writing are fun, juicy, delightful things (which i know, but sometimes need to be reminded of).

this book was so scary that every night when i was done reading i would lie awake in the dark, then turn the light back on and lie with the light on for awhile. scary isn't the right word, maybe. disconcerting.

also, michelle wears cute shoes to her readings.

i am sharing this book with matt jent and i have to give it to him now. i ha...more

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Aug 18, 2008

Reca rated it:

bookshelves: fiction, read-in-2008

Read in October, 2008

This book tells the story of a woman who starts to re-think the details of who really was responsible for her sister’s murder 20 years prior. Considering the details she believed were in the form of a true crime novel that a friend of hers wrote against her wishes, there was a lot going on in this book and quite a few lessons to be learned along the way. I could hardly put this one down. Michelle Richmond is definitely a must read author.

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