The Empathist by Alex Franklyn readalong
To the outside world, Amy has it all—her own home, a thriving career, and a seemingly perfect life.
But behind the façade, she’s running from a past she doesn’t remember… a past that’s been locked away for years.
Medication has kept the memories buried, numbing the pain with a side effect she’s come to embrace. But when her father’s death triggers a series of unsettling events, the cracks in her carefully built reality begin to show.
Readalong: 1st – 31st May
Genre: Psychological Thriller | Contemporary Fiction
Pages: 338
The memories creep in, slowly at first—whispers from the shadows of a life she once lived. But as her mind unravels, the past refuses to stay buried, and Amy is forced to face the truth she’s long suppressed.
Who was she before? Who is she now? And what happens when the two collide?
Because some memories aren’t just painful… they’re dangerous.
My Review
In the words of the UK’s Eurovision entry: ‘What the hell just happened?’ Long gone by the time you read this review, but current when writing it. This was a very unusual story to say the least.
Amy is not a very likeable character, but she’s tolerable I suppose. She’s been muddling along quite nicely, taking some form of medication, which has kept the past buried, and suppressed her feelings. She’s also rather dowdy and unattractive.
Until she attends her father’s funeral, where she argues with the mother she hasn’t seen for years. She hadn’t actually seen her father since she was seventeen. She also falls out with the adopted brother Andy, who is appalled at her behaviour. The problem is that she can’t remember why she fell out with them.
But when she takes a job (she’s a psychotherapist) working with mentally ill criminals, her life begins to unravel. She changes her appearance and becomes obsessed with one of the ‘patients’, even though she knows he’s a dreadful person. She is suspicious of her co-workers to the point of paranoia (though we know what they say – ‘just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not after you’).
At times I didn’t know what the hell was going on – I’m still not sure if I do – but it was an engaging, mind-boggling, exciting and often uncomfortable read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially as I was on the readalong, where we answered questions relevant to the book. It certainly makes you think, but I’m afraid to say that if I met Amy I would run a mile, and I definitely wouldn’t employ her! Especially as a therapist.
Many thanks to @lovebookstours for inviting me to be part of #TheEmpathist readalong.
About the Author
“Amy is based on an idea I had when working in mental health. There was a trainee that was there who said, ‘I don’t need personal therapy to be a psychologist,’ always a red flag to me and the story came from that in my mind.
“I want to cover every genre, so far I’ve done The Empathist, a psychological thriller and Cleaners Wanted, a gangster comedy (like the type of movie you’d see Guy Richie do). My third currently written and in editing is called Arte-Culture, a Sci-fi Conspiracy story, and my fourth being written now is a compendium of short horror stories. The short horrors are each dedicated to different people who for no reason other than their kindness have supported me with my books, so a small thank you. I’ve worked in every single aspect of social care you can think of. Also part of health care. I also do acting as our recent movie Ireke premiered at Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday, 14th May! I have a cat who I love dearly, but I also love dogs, but my day job won’t allow for one.”
Handles/Tags
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@KellyALacey
@lovebookstours
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@Alex._.Franklyn
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