If you knew her by Emily Elgar 

by Shalini, posted in Book Reviews


My review 

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 

My rating : 3.5 stars

About the Author 

Originally from the Cotswolds, Emily Elgar studied at Edinburgh University, but now lives in London. She completed the Novel Writing course at the Faber Academy in 2014 and this is her first novel. 

Book Blurb 

When Cassie Jensen arrives on the intensive care ward in St Catherine’s hospital, Alice Marlowe the chief nurse, is fascinated by this young, beautiful woman who strikes her as familiar and yet she doesn’t know why. But then Alice is astonished to discover something about Cassie that she has been keeping secret from everyone, including her devoted husband and family; a secret that changes everything.

Frank is a patient on the same ward who has locked-in-syndrome, so can hear and see everything around him but cannot communicate. Soon he comes to understand that Cassie’s life is still in danger and as the police continue to investigate what really happened to Cassie, only Frank holds the truth, which no one can know and he cannot tell . . . 

Product Details 

Publication date : 26th January 2017

Publisher : Sphere

Language : English 

Available on Amazon

Not a psychological thriller



21 thoughts on “If you knew her by Emily Elgar ”

    1. Hahaha rupali I would if I could but what I read is
      1) Jane Eyre by Charlotte bronte
      2) pride and prejudice by Jane austen(all books by jane austen are good)
      3) merchant of Venice /, as you like it, midsummer’s night dream by William shakespeare
      4) Tom sawyer by Mark Twain
      5) little women by louisa may Alcott
      6) scarlet pimpernel by Emma orczy
      I had these books for many years

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

  3. Nice to meet you, Dr. Shalini! Books are a wonderful escape from the stresses of medicine. So glad you are taking the time to do reviews. I’ve always loved reading growing up as well. We seem to have less time for it the older we get, but we have to make time.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Hi ipuna, thank u for reading my review.. I am just shalini please only at work do people call me doc. I get withdrawal symptoms if I don’t read.. Hehehe. But since I read ebooks I can open my phone and read anywhere. I have read your posts… They are mind blowing… I don’t know if u can see my comment because I could not find it later… Thank you so much for making me feel welcome. It’s a good heart which uplift another..

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Thank you, Shalini! I get it completely with the reading! I have a PhD in Nursing. I don’t like to be called Dr on my website either. It’s my place to just be me. A little break away from normal work life. I read to help me unwind. It’s the best! Along with running or walking. Thank you on my posts. I truly appreciate your kind words. I’m not sure if I’ve seen your comments either? Hmmm. I’ll check my settings and see if they went somewhere else. I hope you have a wonderful day and get to escape into another story! ❤️​

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Hi ipuna… Wow PhD in nursing superb fab total respect.. Its midnight here…. Always a pleasure to read your messages… Will repost comments on ur post they seem to have disappeared

        Liked by 1 person

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