It’s pretty bizarre, but this book has a lot in common with another book published this year, What Was Mine. Both books are set in New York and California, both are about a mother with a teenage daughter, both are about a huge momma secret that has huge consequences, both have the heroine making questionable choices, both have an abrupt ending that can be annoying. I liked both books, though What Was Mine really pissed me off and this one did not. I’m thinking that my reaction to these two books is sort of sexist. In What Was Mine, the birth mother missed 21 years of her daughter’s life. In People Who Knew Me, the father missed 14 years of his daughter’s life. I felt so much sorrier for the mom than the dad. What’s THAT about?! I must think that it’s more important for a daughter to know her mother than her father. That's terrible! Yep, sexist as all get out! I had my purse under one arm, an overnight bag under the other. To Angel Rivera, I must have looked like a woman committed to her career, flying off to a business meeting in Philadelphia or D.C. or Boston or some other place requiring just an overnight bag. Maybe he resented the tight bun on top of my head, the height of my heels, the obvious expense of my blouse and perfectly fitting skirt—the same blouse and skirt I’d worn the day before those buildings fell. He didn’t want to be there, driving around someone like me. He wanted to be home with the family I pictured him to have—a few kids and a wife who cleaned apartments or waited tables or worked as a nanny for women like me, overnight-bag-carrying women who left their loved ones for big-city meetings. He wanted to hold that family close because we’d all learned a week before that anything could happen. I went to see Dancing at Lughnasa at the National, which was so moving in such unexpected ways. The play works a strange kind of magic. At the end, I had tears streaming down my face and couldn’t quite explain why. It taps into something very primal about family and memory. With head mics attached to these fetching head-bands, so we could be very free and move around. Our voices sound different in various locations – in cars, across restaurant tables, even in the bath. Technically it’s quite a leap forward from the radio dramas one might have heard growing up. You’re very much in the moment with our characters. If somebody cries, we don’t try to hide sniffles. If somebody’s eating, we hear them slurp ice-cream or bite into an apple. It’s a lot more immediate and immersive. You may also opt to downgrade to Standard Digital, a robust journalistic offering that fulfils many user’s needs. Compare Standard and Premium Digital here.

This story got me in from the outset, though I never warmed to Emily/Connie at any point. Despite not liking the main character I wanted to keep reading so that is a sign of good writing, especially when this is a debut novel. Interested to see what else this author writes.Do you think the failure of Emily and Drew’s marriage is due to innate incompatibilities or life circumstances? Would they have stayed together if Drew’s mother had not fallen ill? If you do nothing, you will be auto-enrolled in our premium digital monthly subscription plan and retain complete access for 65 € per month. I am. I love a podcast about the acting industry called Dead Eyes, and Sweet Bobby, the catfishing investigation. I’m also listening to SSAC, the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. I’ve been interested in sporting minutiae and marginal gains since reading James Clear’s book Atomic Habits, about how tiny changes can make a massive difference.

People Who Knew Me tells the story of a woman, Emily Morris, voiced by Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe & Emmy winner Rosamund Pike, who uses 9/11 to fake her own death and run away to start a new life in California as Connie Prynne. I never really connected with Corrine or Emily. While I am trying not to be judgemental, but I never really felt remorse from her. She was at a crossroads in her marriage, and she made a selfish choice. There were some wrongs that she never made amends for. She had a very astute child, and now her daughter is dealing with two major events at the same time. I like that Sept. 11 helped many people turn their lives around, but I don't like it being used as an excuse to avoid making hard decisions. I was waiting for Emily to be strong enough to face her past and cancer instead forced her to sort of take a step. Life is like that sometimes, so I don't mind that. I received an advanced readers copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Don't think for a minute this is all the novel explores. Holy moly, there is so much more. The choices we make, the consequences that follow. What's the "right" thing to do? It's really hard to believe this is the authors first book! I want more! (4.5 stars) Your sons speak fluent Mandarin and your whole family are fans of Chinese culture. Why the fascination?Even if it did mean not continuing her education as originally planned, Emily Morris marries her young love Drew. She has a happy life with Drew. That is, until circumstances change drastically. Drew’s business fails and his mother becomes chronically ill. Emily throws herself into her work as pressures mount on this married couple. Emily can see no way out of the life and difficulties. And then a twist of fate, provides a way out. When many characters in a story ( such as this one), are flawed, make undesirable choices -- disturbing choices --( Emily was not the only character in this Young marriage... how much can even a 'in love' couple handle? work, (major loss), school, finances, ( major loss), planning a family?, sex, old friends, annoying habits, communication, stress, depression, chronic illness, chronic 'any' long term issue, cheating, lies.