Mr. Nobody
Fiction
Ballantine Books
January 7, 2020
Hardcover
368
Purchased
"When a man is found on a British beach, drifting in and out of consciousness, with no identification and unable to speak, interest in him is sparked immediately. From the hospital staff who find themselves inexplicably drawn to him, to international medical experts who are baffled by him, to the national press who call him Mr. Nobody, everyone wants answers. Who is this man? And what happened to him? Some memories are best forgotten. Neuropsychiatrist Dr. Emma Lewis is asked to assess the patient in a small town deep in the English countryside. This is her field of expertise, this is the chance she's been waiting for, and this case could make her name known across the world. But therein lies the danger. Emma left this same town fourteen years ago and has taken great pains to cover all traces of her past since then. Places aren't haunted . . . people are. But now something--or someone--is calling her back. And the more time she spends with her patient, the more alarmed she becomes that he knows the one thing about her that nobody is supposed to know"--
My review:
In this second novel by the author of Something in the Water, I felt a definite growth in the writing style and plot. Maybe because I’m a scientist in a former life, but this story of a man with no memory found on a deserted beach really pulled me in. We as readers learn about different types of memory issues (like what exactly is a fugue State?) and how they can be treated. In this particular case we are introduced to the specialist brought in to work on Mr. Nobody. Dr. Emma Lewis has her own secrets in her past from when she lived in this area 14 years ago. When Mr. Nobody appears to know things about her past, it gets very interesting and creepy. All the details from both of their pasts culminate in a wild ending!
I loved this one for the science aspect of memory loss, but others will likely enjoy it as a fast paced thriller with a memorable (no pun intended) ending.
