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If You Knew Her
THE PERFECT LIFE . . . OR THE PERFECT LIE?
Cassie had it all - the fairytale wedding, the stunning home, the perfect husband. But when she arrives on the intensive care ward at St Catherine's hospital in a coma, it soon becomes clear that she has a secret; a secret that changes everything.
Alice, the chief nurse on the ward begins to feel a connection with Cassie and can't help but wonder if things are not quite as they seem.
Frank, another patient, can hear and see everything around him but cannot communicate. He understands that Cassie's life is in danger and only he holds the truth, which no one can know and he cannot tell . . .
402 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2017
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September 20, 2021
Narrated by three of the main characters, ‘If You Knew Her’ connects all three characters because they spend most of their time in Ward 9B (Intensive Care Unit) in St. Catherine's Hospital in a wealthy part of South East England; two of them as patients and the third as a staff nurse in charge of the ICU ward.
The lead character is Cassie, a young married woman (whose narrative is the story leading up to her being in a coma in ward 9B). She is bright and artistic, and did well at university. Her dearly loved mother was a hippie in her youth. Cassie never knew her father, who was a one-night-stand her mother had during a visit to America. She has died recently from cancer (having married not long before her death). Cassie's grief has been eased by meeting and marrying the charming Jack, a successful businessman. Jack has a widowed mother, Charlotte, who in many ways has become a substitute for Cassie's own mother. Jack can't stand Cassie's stepfather, but Cassie has some sympathy for him. The novel opens with Cassie being hit by a car on a lonely country road in the middle of the night, and knocked into a fast-flowing stream, where she was found by a close-friend, Jonny, and admitted to ward 9B ICU due to her coma.
Equally important is Alice, the staff nurse, who is wonderfully caring and is also happily married. Her one great sadness is that she has had several miscarriages and it seems she will never be able to bear a child. She is in constant disagreement with the intensive care consultant, who is firmly of the view that the coma patients in the ward will never regain consciousness and eventually have to have their machines switched off.
The third narrator is one of the coma patients, Frank, who despite appearing to be in a coma actually has locked-in syndrome. He cannot move a muscle, but can see everything in front of his eyes and hear every conversation in the ward. He has had a stroke resulting from alcoholism. As the plot develops he realises that Cassie is in danger and he desperately needs to communicate this to Alice.
This story can't fail to grip, and the nail-biting climax is far from conventional - but it engages thought, deep thought.
The lead character is Cassie, a young married woman (whose narrative is the story leading up to her being in a coma in ward 9B). She is bright and artistic, and did well at university. Her dearly loved mother was a hippie in her youth. Cassie never knew her father, who was a one-night-stand her mother had during a visit to America. She has died recently from cancer (having married not long before her death). Cassie's grief has been eased by meeting and marrying the charming Jack, a successful businessman. Jack has a widowed mother, Charlotte, who in many ways has become a substitute for Cassie's own mother. Jack can't stand Cassie's stepfather, but Cassie has some sympathy for him. The novel opens with Cassie being hit by a car on a lonely country road in the middle of the night, and knocked into a fast-flowing stream, where she was found by a close-friend, Jonny, and admitted to ward 9B ICU due to her coma.
Equally important is Alice, the staff nurse, who is wonderfully caring and is also happily married. Her one great sadness is that she has had several miscarriages and it seems she will never be able to bear a child. She is in constant disagreement with the intensive care consultant, who is firmly of the view that the coma patients in the ward will never regain consciousness and eventually have to have their machines switched off.
The third narrator is one of the coma patients, Frank, who despite appearing to be in a coma actually has locked-in syndrome. He cannot move a muscle, but can see everything in front of his eyes and hear every conversation in the ward. He has had a stroke resulting from alcoholism. As the plot develops he realises that Cassie is in danger and he desperately needs to communicate this to Alice.
This story can't fail to grip, and the nail-biting climax is far from conventional - but it engages thought, deep thought.
March 3, 2018
Appearances can be so deceiving. Alice is the head nurse on a constant care ward. Frank, one of her patients is thought to be a hopeless case, unresponsive, in a vegetative state, only Alice believes Frank is in there somewhere. Cassie, a young woman is in a coma, a victim of a hit and run. Her husband and mother in law are devastated, and then there is a further revelation that sends them reeling.
I thought this was quite well done. Alternating chapters send us back into the past of Cassie and Jack, into Frank's thoughts and Alice's life and what she finds out about Cassie's life. Well written tightly plotted, steadily paced, unique unveiling of the story. For me, one of the better novels in this genre. Although I figured out most of the reveals before the denoument, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the rest of the story. Knew the who, but not the why. A solid read.
I thought this was quite well done. Alternating chapters send us back into the past of Cassie and Jack, into Frank's thoughts and Alice's life and what she finds out about Cassie's life. Well written tightly plotted, steadily paced, unique unveiling of the story. For me, one of the better novels in this genre. Although I figured out most of the reveals before the denoument, it didn't affect my enjoyment of the rest of the story. Knew the who, but not the why. A solid read.
October 1, 2017
"My fear woke up in me then. It crawled from the pit of my stomach, and uncurled itself. With cold tentacles it crept into the rest of my body."
Yep, fear takes over in this one like a giant slab of burger balancing on the precipice of a very diminutive bun. A weighty proposition, with perhaps, an upended result.
The wheels creak continuously on the cart that carries Cassie Jensen into her assigned unit in the intensive care ward of St. Catherine's Hospital. It gets the attention of Frank in the next bed over. With locked-in syndrome, Frank's hearing and vision are on over-drive, but movement is an impossibility. Hooked to machines constantly and a trachea tube attached, Frank is unable to communicate with this medical world that he finds himself in. But he knows.....oh, he knows.
Alice Marlowe, chief nurse in this unit, hovers over the young woman who suffered serious head injuries in a hit-and-run accident not far from her home. Cassie is hooked to similar machines just like Frank. Dedicated Alice observes the happenings in her ward like an owl perched high in the branches of a tree. Not even a field mouse will cross her path unnoticed. She banters daily with Frank even though he cannot respond. But there is something suspicious about Cassie's case that widens those owl eyes of Alice. Something is not quite right.
Whoa! Emily Elgar presents a storyline here that is wrapped in the procedurals of the medical world and not in the backrooms of the local police station. Elgar divides her chapters into slices of point-of-view through the visions of Alice, Frank, and Cassie's backstory. She thrusts the night of the accident into our faces like an unexpected explosion within the first chapter. The story thereafter curves around the bend revisiting actions and presenting new, unsettling ones. Even if you bloodhound through this, you desperately want to know how this all plays out. Now that has all the required ingredients of can't-put-down hit, fellow readers. A good one, indeed.
I received a copy of If You Knew Her through Goodreads Giveaways. My thanks to Emily Elgar and to Harper Publishers for the opportunity.
Yep, fear takes over in this one like a giant slab of burger balancing on the precipice of a very diminutive bun. A weighty proposition, with perhaps, an upended result.
The wheels creak continuously on the cart that carries Cassie Jensen into her assigned unit in the intensive care ward of St. Catherine's Hospital. It gets the attention of Frank in the next bed over. With locked-in syndrome, Frank's hearing and vision are on over-drive, but movement is an impossibility. Hooked to machines constantly and a trachea tube attached, Frank is unable to communicate with this medical world that he finds himself in. But he knows.....oh, he knows.
Alice Marlowe, chief nurse in this unit, hovers over the young woman who suffered serious head injuries in a hit-and-run accident not far from her home. Cassie is hooked to similar machines just like Frank. Dedicated Alice observes the happenings in her ward like an owl perched high in the branches of a tree. Not even a field mouse will cross her path unnoticed. She banters daily with Frank even though he cannot respond. But there is something suspicious about Cassie's case that widens those owl eyes of Alice. Something is not quite right.
Whoa! Emily Elgar presents a storyline here that is wrapped in the procedurals of the medical world and not in the backrooms of the local police station. Elgar divides her chapters into slices of point-of-view through the visions of Alice, Frank, and Cassie's backstory. She thrusts the night of the accident into our faces like an unexpected explosion within the first chapter. The story thereafter curves around the bend revisiting actions and presenting new, unsettling ones. Even if you bloodhound through this, you desperately want to know how this all plays out. Now that has all the required ingredients of can't-put-down hit, fellow readers. A good one, indeed.
I received a copy of If You Knew Her through Goodreads Giveaways. My thanks to Emily Elgar and to Harper Publishers for the opportunity.
February 9, 2018
I knew it!!!! Actually, I didn’t. The thought crossed my mind though!
Oh my goodness. If You Knew Her by Emily Elgar was so so good! It was mysterious, EMOTIONAL, and clever! We get three different POVs all told mostly in a hospital setting, which I loved!
Alice is a nurse on the 9b ward. She works hard and takes good care of her patients. Her patient, Frank, can still hear and see but can’t speak or move enjoys Alice’s company. She talks to him about everything, hoping to see some change in poor Frank.
We also have Cassie, a new patient, victim to a hit and run. She is in a coma and once Alice finds out Cassie is pregnant she wants to do anything she can to protect Cassie. She needs to know what happened to Cassie. Was this truly an accident or was someone out to get her?
Not being able to talk or move is extremely frustrating for Frank because he sees and hears everything going on on the 9b ward. He understands the most that Cassie and her baby are not safe. He needs to be able to communicate with Alice before it’s too late. Some things just can’t be unseen.
Thank you to Harper books for sending me a final copy for a honest review. 5 Stars!! Highly recommend!
Oh my goodness. If You Knew Her by Emily Elgar was so so good! It was mysterious, EMOTIONAL, and clever! We get three different POVs all told mostly in a hospital setting, which I loved!
Alice is a nurse on the 9b ward. She works hard and takes good care of her patients. Her patient, Frank, can still hear and see but can’t speak or move enjoys Alice’s company. She talks to him about everything, hoping to see some change in poor Frank.
We also have Cassie, a new patient, victim to a hit and run. She is in a coma and once Alice finds out Cassie is pregnant she wants to do anything she can to protect Cassie. She needs to know what happened to Cassie. Was this truly an accident or was someone out to get her?
Not being able to talk or move is extremely frustrating for Frank because he sees and hears everything going on on the 9b ward. He understands the most that Cassie and her baby are not safe. He needs to be able to communicate with Alice before it’s too late. Some things just can’t be unseen.
Thank you to Harper books for sending me a final copy for a honest review. 5 Stars!! Highly recommend!
December 4, 2017
Alice lives her days and/or nights as the ward nurse for 9B. She uses Frank, a patient with locked-in syndrome (he can hear and see things around him but cannot speak or move), as her therapist of sorts, talking to him daily about her life and hoping to see some life from him one day.. though they're convinced at the hospital that he's in a permanent vegetative state.
In comes Cassie, a victim of a hit and run, now in a coma. Finding out that Cassie is with child sends Alice reeling a bit as she has gone through several miscarriages and now she wants to make sure Cassie and child are properly taken care of. If this miracle can happen, surely one can happen for her as well.
Frank just wants to improve, show that he's in there somewhere and start over with his daughter. As he witnesses everything around him, he gets more knowledge than he's bargained for. Now he just needs a way to warn everyone.
Emily truly brings these characters to life. While the story is based on how Cassie ended up on the road that led to her accident, I was more engaged in the characters lives. At a certain point, I even forgot to think of any plot twist or where the book was eventually headed. I was just engaged in the thoughts of each of these three. The author brings them all together in a beautiful and heart wrenching way. While Alice's story hit home in some areas for me on a personal level, I was really mostly fascinated with Frank. Could you even imagine being locked inside your own body and no one knowing you were there??
Definitely an emotional roller coaster of a read. Those who like the character driven novels will surely find themselves immersed in this story. Highly recommend! Now excuse me while I pull myself together.
In comes Cassie, a victim of a hit and run, now in a coma. Finding out that Cassie is with child sends Alice reeling a bit as she has gone through several miscarriages and now she wants to make sure Cassie and child are properly taken care of. If this miracle can happen, surely one can happen for her as well.
Frank just wants to improve, show that he's in there somewhere and start over with his daughter. As he witnesses everything around him, he gets more knowledge than he's bargained for. Now he just needs a way to warn everyone.
Emily truly brings these characters to life. While the story is based on how Cassie ended up on the road that led to her accident, I was more engaged in the characters lives. At a certain point, I even forgot to think of any plot twist or where the book was eventually headed. I was just engaged in the thoughts of each of these three. The author brings them all together in a beautiful and heart wrenching way. While Alice's story hit home in some areas for me on a personal level, I was really mostly fascinated with Frank. Could you even imagine being locked inside your own body and no one knowing you were there??
Definitely an emotional roller coaster of a read. Those who like the character driven novels will surely find themselves immersed in this story. Highly recommend! Now excuse me while I pull myself together.
November 15, 2018
This novel is the intertwined stories of Alice, head nurse on a ward for comatose patients, Cassie, a woman brought into the ward after a hit and run, and Frank, an alcoholic who is locked into his body following a stroke.
There are inevitable comparisons here with 'Rubbernecker' by Belinda Bauer, which also takes place in a coma ward, but the stories are very different even though I loved them both as much as each other.
I really think the less said about the storyline here, the better, but it is suffice to say that I loved this book. It’s a thriller, but it’s a perfectly plotted thriller with a heart. It’s not overly sentimental, there are dark themes and dark deeds, but the protagonists are likeable, sympathetic and empathetic. I stayed up until stupid o'clock reading this and when I’d finished I admit I may have had a little tear in my eye. I really don’t cry easily.
I’m still thinking about this story days later. I’m still thinking of Alice, Cassie and Frank. I simply can’t wait for this author to write another book and I hope it’s as perfect as this one.
There are inevitable comparisons here with 'Rubbernecker' by Belinda Bauer, which also takes place in a coma ward, but the stories are very different even though I loved them both as much as each other.
I really think the less said about the storyline here, the better, but it is suffice to say that I loved this book. It’s a thriller, but it’s a perfectly plotted thriller with a heart. It’s not overly sentimental, there are dark themes and dark deeds, but the protagonists are likeable, sympathetic and empathetic. I stayed up until stupid o'clock reading this and when I’d finished I admit I may have had a little tear in my eye. I really don’t cry easily.
I’m still thinking about this story days later. I’m still thinking of Alice, Cassie and Frank. I simply can’t wait for this author to write another book and I hope it’s as perfect as this one.
January 25, 2019
Was it an accident? Or something else entirely?
Her bag falls from her shoulder and her neck whips round as the car bites into her hip. She feels her bones crack as easily as porcelain; the impact makes her spin, an insane pirouette to the edge of the stream. Her feet can’t keep up and she falls back. Thorns shred her useless hands as she clutches the hedgerows for support, but it’s just brambles and loose branches; it doesn’t even slow her down. She hears herself scream, distant , as if it’s coming from someone else far away. Her head sounds like a piece of meat slammed down on a butcher’s table as it hits something hard.
The stream is quite narrow; it fits her well, snug as a coffin. Her heart beats energy around her body with such force she can’t feel anything else. Even the ice water that busily trickles around her, trying to find its new flow with her in the way, doesn’t sting anymore. The freezing air smells of wet, rotting things and her breath leaves her in blowsy clouds like small spirits, as if part of her was escaping, dissolving into the night.
She opens her eyes; the sky is still inky with night-time, and raindrops sting her face like tiny wet kisses. The car has finally come to a mechanical panting halt above her. She places her hand between her thighs and raises it to her eyes. There’s no blood. Thank God, there’s no blood. Maisie, naughty Maisie, barks. She hears footsteps against the lane. They pause above her. She wishes they wouldn’t. It’s a relief when they walk away again. Predawn silence seems to cover her, tucking her into her new bed. She feels held by the stream, calm in the silence, and she decides to drift off, just for a while, and when she wakes up, everything will be clear and she’ll feel free again.
********
If You Knew Her by Emily Elgar is compelling, heartbreaking, and chilling all rolled into one story!
It's told from three unique points of view: Alice, Frank, and Cassie. Alice is a nurse on a small intensive care ward where she routinely cares for Frank, a long term patient who is diagnosed as comatose and in a perpetual vegetative state. But Alice believes otherwise. She senses that Frank is still aware of what is going on around him but is unable to communicate with the outside world. Cassie tells her story from prior to the accident that lands her on the intensive care ward under Alice's care, her bed opposite of Frank's. It's a completely fascinating, clever, and unique way to have a story play out and I was hooked from beginning to end! This is my first book by Emily Elgar but it won't be my last! I have already pre-ordered her newest book, Grace is Gone, to be published in June, 2019!
Her bag falls from her shoulder and her neck whips round as the car bites into her hip. She feels her bones crack as easily as porcelain; the impact makes her spin, an insane pirouette to the edge of the stream. Her feet can’t keep up and she falls back. Thorns shred her useless hands as she clutches the hedgerows for support, but it’s just brambles and loose branches; it doesn’t even slow her down. She hears herself scream, distant , as if it’s coming from someone else far away. Her head sounds like a piece of meat slammed down on a butcher’s table as it hits something hard.
The stream is quite narrow; it fits her well, snug as a coffin. Her heart beats energy around her body with such force she can’t feel anything else. Even the ice water that busily trickles around her, trying to find its new flow with her in the way, doesn’t sting anymore. The freezing air smells of wet, rotting things and her breath leaves her in blowsy clouds like small spirits, as if part of her was escaping, dissolving into the night.
She opens her eyes; the sky is still inky with night-time, and raindrops sting her face like tiny wet kisses. The car has finally come to a mechanical panting halt above her. She places her hand between her thighs and raises it to her eyes. There’s no blood. Thank God, there’s no blood. Maisie, naughty Maisie, barks. She hears footsteps against the lane. They pause above her. She wishes they wouldn’t. It’s a relief when they walk away again. Predawn silence seems to cover her, tucking her into her new bed. She feels held by the stream, calm in the silence, and she decides to drift off, just for a while, and when she wakes up, everything will be clear and she’ll feel free again.
********
If You Knew Her by Emily Elgar is compelling, heartbreaking, and chilling all rolled into one story!
It's told from three unique points of view: Alice, Frank, and Cassie. Alice is a nurse on a small intensive care ward where she routinely cares for Frank, a long term patient who is diagnosed as comatose and in a perpetual vegetative state. But Alice believes otherwise. She senses that Frank is still aware of what is going on around him but is unable to communicate with the outside world. Cassie tells her story from prior to the accident that lands her on the intensive care ward under Alice's care, her bed opposite of Frank's. It's a completely fascinating, clever, and unique way to have a story play out and I was hooked from beginning to end! This is my first book by Emily Elgar but it won't be my last! I have already pre-ordered her newest book, Grace is Gone, to be published in June, 2019!
August 10, 2017
Tense and addictive psychological thriller with 3 separate, unique and absorbing voices. Full review to follow for the blog tour.
February 9, 2017
Thank you to Netgalley, Little brown book group plc and Emily Elgar for the opportunity to read this book for an honest review.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance reader copy of this book.
You can find my review on both Goodreads and Amazon. On Goodreads from today under Karen Whittard and on Amazon under k.e.whittard from publication date.
If you like crime books do not miss this one. I think that this one stands out from the crowd because instead of being cantered around the police it is about the medical people and the police actually rarely feature in this book which is a really good twist in this book.
The book centres atound three women. Anne an obsessed workaholic nurse that runs the 9B ward. Cassie the main character. Who has been at the centre of an attack and is in a coma on Ward 9B where Anne works and Frank who is also a patient in ward 9B who is suffering from locked in syndrome and alcohol abuse.
There is a wide range of themes running through this book, betrayal, addiction, being in a coma, medical knowledge, secrets, obsession and emotional pain. There is a high amount of drama and intensity in this book. I'm not sure if all the medical talk is correct but it adds an interesting dimension to the book. This had lots of twist and turns in it. Lots of potential suspects and I was left guessing until the end about who did it. Which is extremely rare for me. My mind was all over the place. And I love that in a book a book that keeps me on my toes is great.
I really think that you will enjoy this refreshing and wonderful debut novel if you love crime thriller who dunnit books. Don't forget to grab your copy when it hits the shelves. I can't wait to see what the author will bring out next.
Happy reading everyone
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance reader copy of this book.
You can find my review on both Goodreads and Amazon. On Goodreads from today under Karen Whittard and on Amazon under k.e.whittard from publication date.
If you like crime books do not miss this one. I think that this one stands out from the crowd because instead of being cantered around the police it is about the medical people and the police actually rarely feature in this book which is a really good twist in this book.
The book centres atound three women. Anne an obsessed workaholic nurse that runs the 9B ward. Cassie the main character. Who has been at the centre of an attack and is in a coma on Ward 9B where Anne works and Frank who is also a patient in ward 9B who is suffering from locked in syndrome and alcohol abuse.
There is a wide range of themes running through this book, betrayal, addiction, being in a coma, medical knowledge, secrets, obsession and emotional pain. There is a high amount of drama and intensity in this book. I'm not sure if all the medical talk is correct but it adds an interesting dimension to the book. This had lots of twist and turns in it. Lots of potential suspects and I was left guessing until the end about who did it. Which is extremely rare for me. My mind was all over the place. And I love that in a book a book that keeps me on my toes is great.
I really think that you will enjoy this refreshing and wonderful debut novel if you love crime thriller who dunnit books. Don't forget to grab your copy when it hits the shelves. I can't wait to see what the author will bring out next.
Happy reading everyone
July 9, 2019
Cassie is the victim of a hit and run incident. Was it an accident or intentional? Who would want to hurt Cassie? Police are investigating what happened. Now Cassie is in a coma. But she has a secret her husband doesn’t know about. Frank is a patient in the same intensive care ward at St Catherine’s Hospital. Although he can hear and see what is going on around him, most hospital staff think he is in a vegetative state since he is unable to communicate Alice is the head nurse caring for these patients. She is a very caring person and takes the time to talk to Frank. But Frank is unable talk back, even when he realises Cassie’s life is still in danger.
The story is told from these three points of view and so the reader comes to learn about Cassie and Jack’s life before the accident, about Frank’s family and his past and also about Alice and her repeated attempts to have a child. This technique enables the reader to feel right there in the situation. The tension from start to finish is well maintained and increases towards the end. A few red herrings about who was responsible for the hit and run are thrown up. However, even if you do pinpoint before the end, who was responsible as I did, it doesn’t lessen the impact of the story.
I found this to be a gripping read. More impressed to learn this is a debut novel. I’ll definitely be interested to see what this author writes next. An absorbing book that engaged my emotions and had my attention throughout, I definitely recommend this one.
The story is told from these three points of view and so the reader comes to learn about Cassie and Jack’s life before the accident, about Frank’s family and his past and also about Alice and her repeated attempts to have a child. This technique enables the reader to feel right there in the situation. The tension from start to finish is well maintained and increases towards the end. A few red herrings about who was responsible for the hit and run are thrown up. However, even if you do pinpoint before the end, who was responsible as I did, it doesn’t lessen the impact of the story.
I found this to be a gripping read. More impressed to learn this is a debut novel. I’ll definitely be interested to see what this author writes next. An absorbing book that engaged my emotions and had my attention throughout, I definitely recommend this one.
February 20, 2019
This one kind of read like my previous Holly Seddon book in the sense that this book is about someone with locked-in syndrome and another person in a coma, and it also has a very touching ending that got me all in my feelings! A solid book that I would normally give a good, moderately enjoyable, 3-star rating, but the extra emotional touch put it at a 4-star read for me. The writing was exceptional and I was very impressed that this was a debut novel. It was a mystery not necessarily a thriller in my opinion but I would still recommend this to those that are fans of a psychological Thriller!
June 18, 2018
4 1/2 stars!!! I really enjoyed this book!!! A great read!!!
October 5, 2017
So full disclaimer: I received this as a Goodreads Free Giveaway ... so here is my honest review.
I did not love this book. But I also did not hate this book.
I felt like it had a good premise of a story that I kept hoping would get suspenseful and riveting but it just never got there for me.
I felt like the outcomes was a little predictable even with a couple twists mixed in ... it just never had me fully captivated.
And honestly I was disappointed by the entire ending for all three major voices within the book.
I did not love this book. But I also did not hate this book.
I felt like it had a good premise of a story that I kept hoping would get suspenseful and riveting but it just never got there for me.
I felt like the outcomes was a little predictable even with a couple twists mixed in ... it just never had me fully captivated.
And honestly I was disappointed by the entire ending for all three major voices within the book.
March 5, 2018
3.5 stars. Down half a star for being a bit predictable. It didn’t wow me but was still a pretty dang good read!
January 23, 2018
How have I never heard of this book before now?!? A gripping psychological read, this story hooked me from the very first line and kept me on the edge of my seat to the last.
Centred around a hospital ward, we get to know Alice who is excellent at her job and really connects and cares about her patients. There is Frank who she believes is suffering from locked-in syndrome, even though her boss disagrees, and the close-knit group of staff who feel like family. But Alice is struggling with her personal life in many ways and at times feels overwhelmed by what she thought her life would be like.
But when young, beautiful Cassie Jensen arrives on her ward in a coma after a hit and run, Alice feels a strong connection to this woman, and as Alice begins to uncover snippets of Cassie's life she feels compelled to find out exactly what happened to this young woman. Frank may hold all the answers if only he could find some way to communicate ...
This thrilling story is told from the point of view of Alice, Frank, and Cassie and moves easily from past to present to give us the whole picture. This is not a high-action, fast-paced novel but rather a tense, creepy, and disturbing tale of love, loss, and betrayal of the highest order.
IF YOU KNEW HER by Emily Elgar is a compelling psychological thriller that really got under my skin and I could easily imagine it on our tv screens as a crime drama - a fantastic story by a new author and I cannot wait for more from Emily Elgar.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from Edelweiss.
Centred around a hospital ward, we get to know Alice who is excellent at her job and really connects and cares about her patients. There is Frank who she believes is suffering from locked-in syndrome, even though her boss disagrees, and the close-knit group of staff who feel like family. But Alice is struggling with her personal life in many ways and at times feels overwhelmed by what she thought her life would be like.
But when young, beautiful Cassie Jensen arrives on her ward in a coma after a hit and run, Alice feels a strong connection to this woman, and as Alice begins to uncover snippets of Cassie's life she feels compelled to find out exactly what happened to this young woman. Frank may hold all the answers if only he could find some way to communicate ...
This thrilling story is told from the point of view of Alice, Frank, and Cassie and moves easily from past to present to give us the whole picture. This is not a high-action, fast-paced novel but rather a tense, creepy, and disturbing tale of love, loss, and betrayal of the highest order.
IF YOU KNEW HER by Emily Elgar is a compelling psychological thriller that really got under my skin and I could easily imagine it on our tv screens as a crime drama - a fantastic story by a new author and I cannot wait for more from Emily Elgar.
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from Edelweiss.
October 27, 2019
What a great debut novel by Emily Elgar! The premise hooked me immediately - three different POVs all in a hospital setting - the intertwined stories of Alice, nurse on the unit for comatose patients, Frank, an alcoholic who is "locked" in his own body following a stroke, unable to communicate that he can hear and see, and Cassie, a woman brought into the unit after a hit and run.
You learn the backstory from Cassie's memories, and in the present, nurse Alice has the feeling that something just isn't quite right. And Frank knows something isn't right - but he has no way of telling anyone. I thought that the use of a "coma patient" as a witness was original and it worked very well as everyone believed Frank to be in a vegetative state so they didn't watch what they did or said around him. I really felt for him as he started to piece together what was happening but was completely powerless to do anything about it.
I thought Elgar did a good job of developing the characters in a way that no one was who they appeared to be at the beginning, and gradually revealed more and more about each of them throughout the book. Overall, the pace was good, but there were a few times when the storyline felt a bit bogged down. Things in the end were wrapped up rather quickly, but it didn't really bother me in this one.
All in all, an interesting debut book. I'm very interested to see what Emily Elgar serves up next time. 4 stars!
You learn the backstory from Cassie's memories, and in the present, nurse Alice has the feeling that something just isn't quite right. And Frank knows something isn't right - but he has no way of telling anyone. I thought that the use of a "coma patient" as a witness was original and it worked very well as everyone believed Frank to be in a vegetative state so they didn't watch what they did or said around him. I really felt for him as he started to piece together what was happening but was completely powerless to do anything about it.
I thought Elgar did a good job of developing the characters in a way that no one was who they appeared to be at the beginning, and gradually revealed more and more about each of them throughout the book. Overall, the pace was good, but there were a few times when the storyline felt a bit bogged down. Things in the end were wrapped up rather quickly, but it didn't really bother me in this one.
All in all, an interesting debut book. I'm very interested to see what Emily Elgar serves up next time. 4 stars!
March 30, 2021
If You Knew Her
wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.
This just wasn't good enough to warrant more than two stars because it was filled with the stereotypical tropes of domestic thrillers.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
Alice is the ward nurse at St. Catherine's on 9B, where the most serious and grievously injured patients are brought.
She has befriended Frank, who is alive but stuck in locked-in syndrome and the newest patient, Cassie, a young woman with a severe head injury after surviving a hit and run.
The POVs switch from Alice, Frank and Cassie respectively, detailing how they each ended up in their current circumstances.
Alice is pushing her forties and desperate to have a child with her devoted husband, David, despite several heartbreaking miscarriages.
Frank, an alcoholic who lost his wife and daughter in a divorce because of the disease, finds himself with a lot of time on his hands after suffering a stroke that caused his paralysis.
He yearns for redemption and repentance and as his condition begins to improve, becomes the unlikely witness to the person responsible for Cassie's condition.
Finally, there is Cassie, who is the least known to us, because she is described in the third person.
We see her whirlwind marriage to Jack and observe her daily life as she adjusts to living in the country, away from London, her grief and sorrow over the loss of her mother to cancer not long ago and her interactions with her mother-in-law.
I loved the idea of a character who is incapacitated and unable to speak who sees and listens to everything that goes on around him, while everyone else underestimates him (except Alice).
In the beginning, Frank sounded shallow and selfish, only caring about booze and himself, but he began to lose his self pitying behavior and realize how much harm he had done to his ex-wife and daughter by not putting them first.
His selfless choice to try to communicate who the perpetrator is behind Cassie's injury leads Alice to put the pieces together and discover the culprit.
Alice is a decent character; her infertility and desire for a child to call her own is juxtaposed against Cassie's pregnancy and her vigilance in protecting the woman and unborn child from future harm.
She plays Nancy Drew to find out more about Cassie, who she is and where she came from, and in the end, after another devastating miscarriage, comes to peace with her own family of two, a very way to end the story.
My only issue was Cassie herself; a hum-drum woman with no family to call her own, she naturally marries a man we know nothing about.
Readers are not given exposition or background as to how and why this couple got together.
Then, the usual cliches quickly make themselves at home:
1. Adultering on Jack and his father, Mike's part.
2. Jack adultering with Nikki, Cassie's BFF.
3. Cassie kissing Jack but feeling embarrassed about it because Nikki is there and looking for love and Cassie feels like it might be rude expressing her love for her husband. Seriously.
4. The creepy love Jack's mom has for her only son. Her excuse is that, as a mother, she will do anything to protect her son, including not tell Jack what an adultering dick his father was to protect the man's memory but I call it Freudian.
5. The potential love triangle between Cassie, Jack and her guy friend, Jonny.
It got a bit Lifetime-y at certain parts, but at least, Jack does step up at the end, a shocking rarity. Also, another rarity, David, Alice's husband, is a good man.
This just wasn't good enough to warrant more than two stars because it was filled with the stereotypical tropes of domestic thrillers.
** Minor spoilers ahead **
Alice is the ward nurse at St. Catherine's on 9B, where the most serious and grievously injured patients are brought.
She has befriended Frank, who is alive but stuck in locked-in syndrome and the newest patient, Cassie, a young woman with a severe head injury after surviving a hit and run.
The POVs switch from Alice, Frank and Cassie respectively, detailing how they each ended up in their current circumstances.
Alice is pushing her forties and desperate to have a child with her devoted husband, David, despite several heartbreaking miscarriages.
Frank, an alcoholic who lost his wife and daughter in a divorce because of the disease, finds himself with a lot of time on his hands after suffering a stroke that caused his paralysis.
He yearns for redemption and repentance and as his condition begins to improve, becomes the unlikely witness to the person responsible for Cassie's condition.
Finally, there is Cassie, who is the least known to us, because she is described in the third person.
We see her whirlwind marriage to Jack and observe her daily life as she adjusts to living in the country, away from London, her grief and sorrow over the loss of her mother to cancer not long ago and her interactions with her mother-in-law.
I loved the idea of a character who is incapacitated and unable to speak who sees and listens to everything that goes on around him, while everyone else underestimates him (except Alice).
In the beginning, Frank sounded shallow and selfish, only caring about booze and himself, but he began to lose his self pitying behavior and realize how much harm he had done to his ex-wife and daughter by not putting them first.
His selfless choice to try to communicate who the perpetrator is behind Cassie's injury leads Alice to put the pieces together and discover the culprit.
Alice is a decent character; her infertility and desire for a child to call her own is juxtaposed against Cassie's pregnancy and her vigilance in protecting the woman and unborn child from future harm.
She plays Nancy Drew to find out more about Cassie, who she is and where she came from, and in the end, after another devastating miscarriage, comes to peace with her own family of two, a very way to end the story.
My only issue was Cassie herself; a hum-drum woman with no family to call her own, she naturally marries a man we know nothing about.
Readers are not given exposition or background as to how and why this couple got together.
Then, the usual cliches quickly make themselves at home:
1. Adultering on Jack and his father, Mike's part.
2. Jack adultering with Nikki, Cassie's BFF.
3. Cassie kissing Jack but feeling embarrassed about it because Nikki is there and looking for love and Cassie feels like it might be rude expressing her love for her husband. Seriously.
4. The creepy love Jack's mom has for her only son. Her excuse is that, as a mother, she will do anything to protect her son, including not tell Jack what an adultering dick his father was to protect the man's memory but I call it Freudian.
5. The potential love triangle between Cassie, Jack and her guy friend, Jonny.
It got a bit Lifetime-y at certain parts, but at least, Jack does step up at the end, a shocking rarity. Also, another rarity, David, Alice's husband, is a good man.
March 7, 2017
If You Knew Her is a debut “psychological thriller” by Emily Elgar. I put psychological thriller in quotations because, to me, it didn’t quite hit that mark, although it was fairly gripping. The story is told from 3 different perspectives:
1. Alice, who is a nurse working on 9B, an ICU/HDU type ward. She’s a highly experienced nurse who is also dealing with the struggle of trying to get pregnant.
2. Frank, a patient on 9B who suffers from “locked-in syndrome”, a coma-like state in which the person is cognitively there, however cannot move or communicate in anyway. Frank observes what happens around him. Frank is believed by the medical team to be in a permanent vegetative state (they believe he has no cognition of his surroundings), and thus people on the ward are very open around him and he observes a lot of secrets.
3. Cassie, a young woman, brought in post hit and run. She is currently in a coma and it is unclear who hit her, and if it was an accident or more sinister than that.
Through the perspectives of these 3, we begin to discover the truth behind what happened to Cassie. The story is told at a pace that is both steady but enthralling. I couldn’t put it down to be honest! It was a nice change to see this kind of book told from the medical perspective, rather than the investigative perspective… although we do get a fair bit of investigation as well. Alice is dead-set on figuring out what happened to Cassie, and definitely breaks her professional boundaries to do so.
So generally, I loved the pace, though I do think the first half of the book was a lot stronger than the second half. It is obvious to me that Emily Elgar is an extremely talented writer and either did a lot of research for this book, or possibly has experience in the medical field. For a bit of insight, I myself am a registered nurse. It’s understandable that I often get pissed when authors get medical terminology wrong. The author has done a fantastic job for the most part in regards to the medical side of things. The book was about 95% correct which is a breath of fresh air for this nurse/avid reader.
Personally, I did find the ending to be a bit of a let down. Considering the slow build, I would have liked the ending to be a little less obvious. I also felt one of the big things that happened in the book to be unrealistic and just plain crappy for that character… but I can’t say what it was without giving the story away! Just another small note is that it annoyed me that Alice was terrible at maintaining patient confidentiality, which I felt didn’t suit her character as she was passionate about patient wellbeing. Overall, I liked the book and would recommend it to those who like crime and slow builds. I would gladly read another book by Emily Elgar, as her talent absolutely shines and I feel like she’ll only improve her writing style! 3.5/5 stars.
1. Alice, who is a nurse working on 9B, an ICU/HDU type ward. She’s a highly experienced nurse who is also dealing with the struggle of trying to get pregnant.
2. Frank, a patient on 9B who suffers from “locked-in syndrome”, a coma-like state in which the person is cognitively there, however cannot move or communicate in anyway. Frank observes what happens around him. Frank is believed by the medical team to be in a permanent vegetative state (they believe he has no cognition of his surroundings), and thus people on the ward are very open around him and he observes a lot of secrets.
3. Cassie, a young woman, brought in post hit and run. She is currently in a coma and it is unclear who hit her, and if it was an accident or more sinister than that.
Through the perspectives of these 3, we begin to discover the truth behind what happened to Cassie. The story is told at a pace that is both steady but enthralling. I couldn’t put it down to be honest! It was a nice change to see this kind of book told from the medical perspective, rather than the investigative perspective… although we do get a fair bit of investigation as well. Alice is dead-set on figuring out what happened to Cassie, and definitely breaks her professional boundaries to do so.
So generally, I loved the pace, though I do think the first half of the book was a lot stronger than the second half. It is obvious to me that Emily Elgar is an extremely talented writer and either did a lot of research for this book, or possibly has experience in the medical field. For a bit of insight, I myself am a registered nurse. It’s understandable that I often get pissed when authors get medical terminology wrong. The author has done a fantastic job for the most part in regards to the medical side of things. The book was about 95% correct which is a breath of fresh air for this nurse/avid reader.
Personally, I did find the ending to be a bit of a let down. Considering the slow build, I would have liked the ending to be a little less obvious. I also felt one of the big things that happened in the book to be unrealistic and just plain crappy for that character… but I can’t say what it was without giving the story away! Just another small note is that it annoyed me that Alice was terrible at maintaining patient confidentiality, which I felt didn’t suit her character as she was passionate about patient wellbeing. Overall, I liked the book and would recommend it to those who like crime and slow builds. I would gladly read another book by Emily Elgar, as her talent absolutely shines and I feel like she’ll only improve her writing style! 3.5/5 stars.
June 19, 2017
This is an easy mystery/suspense novel. A light read..
Three main characters :
1) Alice, an ICU high dependency unit nurse and her two patients
2) Frank, with a tracheotomy and ventilator suffering from "locked in syndrome", post stroke and alcoholism
3) Cassie, a young wife with a head injury and coma, post a hit and run accident
The story revolves around the lives of all the three, Alice with her husband David and her inability to sustain her pregnancies. Frank and his relationship to daughter Lucy, which is described in bits and pieces as past memory. Cassie and her husband Jack, mother-in-law, Charlotte and the ebb and flow of family politics and life in a farm. Alice has a different relationship with both her patients. She believes that Frank's brain is active but his body is locked, so she shares her life secrets with him, he is her sounding board. She also feels a strange connection to Cassie and goes about finding out more about her past life, especially when she finds out that Cassie is pregnant.
Points of mystery are
Who visits Cassie at night, her family or friend Nicky or stepfather Marcus or neighbour Jonny, is Cassie in danger from that person, whose child is Cassie carrying, was Cassie running away or searching for her dog, why is Jack so tensed, is it work or something else, will Cassie ever get up to tell the truth. How does Frank help when he cannot move or talk, what has Frank heard in the darkness of the night. The answers to these doubts are in hidden in the pages of the book. That's what makes this book an entertaining read.
Emily Elgar writes well in her debut novel, but a little depth to her characters would be nice. She writes the story of every character in the past and the present. She makes Cassie sound like a complex woman but does not describe her complexities or her feelings for her parents or her future family. Everything is told to us in a couple of lines. There are lot of small things left to imagination and presumption. But in saying this, I would also add that these are just minor details, does not detract much from the suspense. On the whole a good read, worth spending the afternoon with this book.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Little Brown Book Group, UK Sphere and this is my honest and unbiased opinion
Three main characters :
1) Alice, an ICU high dependency unit nurse and her two patients
2) Frank, with a tracheotomy and ventilator suffering from "locked in syndrome", post stroke and alcoholism
3) Cassie, a young wife with a head injury and coma, post a hit and run accident
The story revolves around the lives of all the three, Alice with her husband David and her inability to sustain her pregnancies. Frank and his relationship to daughter Lucy, which is described in bits and pieces as past memory. Cassie and her husband Jack, mother-in-law, Charlotte and the ebb and flow of family politics and life in a farm. Alice has a different relationship with both her patients. She believes that Frank's brain is active but his body is locked, so she shares her life secrets with him, he is her sounding board. She also feels a strange connection to Cassie and goes about finding out more about her past life, especially when she finds out that Cassie is pregnant.
Points of mystery are
Who visits Cassie at night, her family or friend Nicky or stepfather Marcus or neighbour Jonny, is Cassie in danger from that person, whose child is Cassie carrying, was Cassie running away or searching for her dog, why is Jack so tensed, is it work or something else, will Cassie ever get up to tell the truth. How does Frank help when he cannot move or talk, what has Frank heard in the darkness of the night. The answers to these doubts are in hidden in the pages of the book. That's what makes this book an entertaining read.
Emily Elgar writes well in her debut novel, but a little depth to her characters would be nice. She writes the story of every character in the past and the present. She makes Cassie sound like a complex woman but does not describe her complexities or her feelings for her parents or her future family. Everything is told to us in a couple of lines. There are lot of small things left to imagination and presumption. But in saying this, I would also add that these are just minor details, does not detract much from the suspense. On the whole a good read, worth spending the afternoon with this book.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Little Brown Book Group, UK Sphere and this is my honest and unbiased opinion
April 11, 2018
I enjoyed the fact that this book developed the characters who appear in the book, especially the way in which miscarriages and marriages were explored. However, I wasn't a huge fan of Emily Elgar's writing. I honestly started reading it and thought that the writing was terrible. It reminded me of when my writing teacher in junior high told me to add more creative language (e.g. similes, metaphors, personification, imagery) into my essays and then telling me to take it all out again because it was too much. Luckily, this clumsy usage of creative language, particularly personification, only lasted for the first chapter, which was the one in which the main hit-and-run crime occurs, but the writing in the rest of the book was mediocre, in my opinion. This could be forgiven considering that the writing quality was similar to many books in the thriller genre, but the book didn't make me feel much suspense, and I wasn't surprised by the ending, which was also abrupt.
June 22, 2018
This is a Emily Elgar’s debut novel. Told in multiple perspectives in both the present and past, this is a cleverly well-written debut. Started off a bit slow but the use of alternating perspectives always keeps me gripped. I would not quite categorize this as a psychological thriller but definitely a good, solid, suspenseful story nonetheless.
**3.75 stars rounded up!**
**3.75 stars rounded up!**
February 22, 2018
I enjoyed this psychological thriller. Not much more to say than that really!
I did predict the ending early on but that's because I've read so many books in the genre that I know what to look for - it was still a good read although nothing new to me.
I did predict the ending early on but that's because I've read so many books in the genre that I know what to look for - it was still a good read although nothing new to me.
May 20, 2018
Slow start but the ending was definitely worth it all!
September 13, 2018
3.5 stars
March 10, 2020
This is a book that I read for the book club I started at work. This club reads a variety of titles and this particular one falls into the mystery genre, not something I tend to read an awful lot of. Even so, I enjoyed this and read almost the whole thing in one sitting, it's very easy to get into and gripping once you start.
The book follows three main characters: Cassie, Alice and Frank.
Alice is a nurse who works with coma patients. She's caring and just wants to be there for the people on her ward. She has a positive outlook and wants to be a comforting presence to all.
Frank is a locked in patient, he can hear everything that's happening around him on the ward but he can't communicate and lots of the drs don't believe in his ability to recover, but Alice does.
Cassie is a new patient at the start of the book who's joining the ward after a serious trauma and accident. No one is quite sure if her story and her family are devastated to see her like that, all broken. However, there's an awful lot more to her tale...
The book is divided into various chapters which each tell one of the POVs, Alice and Frank's in the present day and Cassie's are all flashbacks to her life. Together the three stories weave a tale which is twisted and messy and full of emotion.
What I like about this story is the message of Alice, for me she was a wonderful character and I really enjoyed her development. Frank was also a great one, although I've read other stories about Lock In and it's a terrible thing!
The book was fast paced and fun and although I saw some twists coming they were frequently revealed at moments I didn't expect. I also think that the author is not afraid to do the unexpected with her plot and characters which I appreciated.
Overall, a lot of fun story and I'd say if you're looking for a modern mystery you may well enjoy this one. 3.5*s
The book follows three main characters: Cassie, Alice and Frank.
Alice is a nurse who works with coma patients. She's caring and just wants to be there for the people on her ward. She has a positive outlook and wants to be a comforting presence to all.
Frank is a locked in patient, he can hear everything that's happening around him on the ward but he can't communicate and lots of the drs don't believe in his ability to recover, but Alice does.
Cassie is a new patient at the start of the book who's joining the ward after a serious trauma and accident. No one is quite sure if her story and her family are devastated to see her like that, all broken. However, there's an awful lot more to her tale...
The book is divided into various chapters which each tell one of the POVs, Alice and Frank's in the present day and Cassie's are all flashbacks to her life. Together the three stories weave a tale which is twisted and messy and full of emotion.
What I like about this story is the message of Alice, for me she was a wonderful character and I really enjoyed her development. Frank was also a great one, although I've read other stories about Lock In and it's a terrible thing!
The book was fast paced and fun and although I saw some twists coming they were frequently revealed at moments I didn't expect. I also think that the author is not afraid to do the unexpected with her plot and characters which I appreciated.
Overall, a lot of fun story and I'd say if you're looking for a modern mystery you may well enjoy this one. 3.5*s
September 25, 2018
WOW!! What a whirlwind of a plot this was!!
This book had me up late into the night and early morning, it was a page turner, full of suspense and mystery.
Frank is one of the patients in the critical care ward believed to be in a complete vegetative state, but he is not, he is trapped in his body. He hears everything and sees everything going on around him in the hospital, he just can't move, he can only stare.
Cassie is emitted in the bed across from Frank after getting hit by a car and left in a coma. It is discovered she is twelve weeks pregnant. Her nurse Alice has had 8 miscarriages and finds out she is also pregnant. Alice becomes even more protective of Cassie, but when she leaves at the end of her shift she doesn't realize the danger Cassie and the baby Cassie is carrying are really in.
But Frank knows, because he is witness to the the stranger that sneaks in and hovers over Cassie's bedside in the middle of the night, he hears what is said. Frustrated he tries to communicate to the hospital staff but nobody is paying attention. Until the wrong person notices the changes in Frank and now his life is also in danger.
This book had me up late into the night and early morning, it was a page turner, full of suspense and mystery.
Frank is one of the patients in the critical care ward believed to be in a complete vegetative state, but he is not, he is trapped in his body. He hears everything and sees everything going on around him in the hospital, he just can't move, he can only stare.
Cassie is emitted in the bed across from Frank after getting hit by a car and left in a coma. It is discovered she is twelve weeks pregnant. Her nurse Alice has had 8 miscarriages and finds out she is also pregnant. Alice becomes even more protective of Cassie, but when she leaves at the end of her shift she doesn't realize the danger Cassie and the baby Cassie is carrying are really in.
But Frank knows, because he is witness to the the stranger that sneaks in and hovers over Cassie's bedside in the middle of the night, he hears what is said. Frustrated he tries to communicate to the hospital staff but nobody is paying attention. Until the wrong person notices the changes in Frank and now his life is also in danger.
June 2, 2020
3.5 stars
When Cassie ends up in a coma, with a pregnancy no one in her family was aware of, it is up to Alice, a nurse on the coma ward, to put the pieces together and figure out what happened. This was a quick and easy audio book with a decent mystery. Although there was nothing significant about this book to make it stand out from other mystery thrillers, it was engaging and perfect for listening to while cooking and doing chores. I enjoyed the pacing and the story being told from three different perspectives. The other coma patient’s perspective was a tad redundant and pointless but overall a solid read.
When Cassie ends up in a coma, with a pregnancy no one in her family was aware of, it is up to Alice, a nurse on the coma ward, to put the pieces together and figure out what happened. This was a quick and easy audio book with a decent mystery. Although there was nothing significant about this book to make it stand out from other mystery thrillers, it was engaging and perfect for listening to while cooking and doing chores. I enjoyed the pacing and the story being told from three different perspectives. The other coma patient’s perspective was a tad redundant and pointless but overall a solid read.
December 26, 2019
There was a lot going on. Cassie is a newlywed married to Jack. Frank had a massive stroke & his prognosis isn’t good. A nurse on his ward, Alice has issues becoming a mother along with being too close to her patients. Woo! It was an eventful read. Along with being enjoyable.
May 14, 2018
I want into it in the beginning but really ended up enjoying it!
November 25, 2019
“If You Knew Her”
Written by Emily Elgar
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia
A startling entry in the psychological thriller subgenre, “If You Knew Her” by Emily Elgar grips ahold of its readers, with an enchanting and harrowing tale. The story follows three perspectives: the past perspective of Cassie, a woman who has been brutally injured in a hit and run, Alice, her nurse, and Frank, a man who is also in a coma, on the same ward as Cassie.
With a twisted eye for detail, Elgar creates highly likeable protagonists, with many interesting qualities and personality, as well as shifty and a manipulative, evil villain. The other remaining suspects are indelibly fascinating, leaving a strong impact in each red herring.
In each perspective, we learn drastically important, but sometimes intriguingly subtle, details about the other characters. In some ways, we have that interesting contras that leads to false leads.
I was quite surprised by the serious themes of this story including troubled marriages, spousal abuse, treatment of mental illness, miscarriages, and difficulty with pregnancy. Those more important themes were handled with pure grace and care, in a wonderfully delicate manner. The emphasis on including these themes greatly improved the novel, creating far more developed and thorough characters. Every step that Elgar added to this book was purposeful and honest, with genuine intentions. The reveal of the villain was perfectly paced, in a manner that was quick and deliberate, but also teasingly suspenseful.
There were not many areas of this book that I did not enjoy. Sometimes, the dialogue felt very rushed and a tad unnatural. The police procedure and hospital procedure of a hit and run felt very glossed over and could have been improved by more research. I personally think that this book would have been much more enjoyable without the “in a coma, yet present” perspective of Frank. I personally am not a fan of stories and books told through the perspective of a person in a coma, but who is so aware, they are able to solve the mystery. Elgar’s portrayal of him was pitch-perfect, but I would have far preferred his character and story placed into a different book.
In conclusion, I felt this was a great read. I whole-heartedly believe that Elgar is a brilliant writer, and I intend to read future works by her. I highly recommend this book to those interested in psychological thrillers that delve into the domestic, family theme. I rated this book at four out of five stars; the book’s focus on Frank felt unnecessary and a tad boring to me in certain places. I fully hope that my readers would give this a try, because I have not yet heard a single person mention this. Let’s spread the word.
I received a complimentary finished copy of this novel, in exchange for my reading and writing a review. Thank you again to William Morrow and Harper Collins.
Written by Emily Elgar
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia
A startling entry in the psychological thriller subgenre, “If You Knew Her” by Emily Elgar grips ahold of its readers, with an enchanting and harrowing tale. The story follows three perspectives: the past perspective of Cassie, a woman who has been brutally injured in a hit and run, Alice, her nurse, and Frank, a man who is also in a coma, on the same ward as Cassie.
With a twisted eye for detail, Elgar creates highly likeable protagonists, with many interesting qualities and personality, as well as shifty and a manipulative, evil villain. The other remaining suspects are indelibly fascinating, leaving a strong impact in each red herring.
In each perspective, we learn drastically important, but sometimes intriguingly subtle, details about the other characters. In some ways, we have that interesting contras that leads to false leads.
I was quite surprised by the serious themes of this story including troubled marriages, spousal abuse, treatment of mental illness, miscarriages, and difficulty with pregnancy. Those more important themes were handled with pure grace and care, in a wonderfully delicate manner. The emphasis on including these themes greatly improved the novel, creating far more developed and thorough characters. Every step that Elgar added to this book was purposeful and honest, with genuine intentions. The reveal of the villain was perfectly paced, in a manner that was quick and deliberate, but also teasingly suspenseful.
There were not many areas of this book that I did not enjoy. Sometimes, the dialogue felt very rushed and a tad unnatural. The police procedure and hospital procedure of a hit and run felt very glossed over and could have been improved by more research. I personally think that this book would have been much more enjoyable without the “in a coma, yet present” perspective of Frank. I personally am not a fan of stories and books told through the perspective of a person in a coma, but who is so aware, they are able to solve the mystery. Elgar’s portrayal of him was pitch-perfect, but I would have far preferred his character and story placed into a different book.
In conclusion, I felt this was a great read. I whole-heartedly believe that Elgar is a brilliant writer, and I intend to read future works by her. I highly recommend this book to those interested in psychological thrillers that delve into the domestic, family theme. I rated this book at four out of five stars; the book’s focus on Frank felt unnecessary and a tad boring to me in certain places. I fully hope that my readers would give this a try, because I have not yet heard a single person mention this. Let’s spread the word.
I received a complimentary finished copy of this novel, in exchange for my reading and writing a review. Thank you again to William Morrow and Harper Collins.
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