The Memory by Lucy Dawson

She’ll never forget… I’ll never forgive.

People always notice my daughter, Isobel. How could they not? Extraordinarily beautiful... until she speaks. 

An unsettling, little-girl voice, exactly like a child’s, but from the mouth of a full-grown woman. 

Izzie might look grown-up, but inside she’s trapped. Caught in the day it happened… the day that broke her from within. Our family fell apart that day, and we never could pick up the pieces. 

A haunting domestic drama about families and secrets, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Shalini Boland and Lisa Jewell.

💛💛💛💛

This psychological thriller is told from two points of view: Eve and Claire.

The story starts with Eve, a young widow dropping off her little girl Isobel for a judo class. The class does not go as expected and something happens that will haunt the people present for decades to come.

Fast forward to about thirty years later. We find Eve wanting to sell her house and meet Claire, who shows up for a viewing of Eve's house. We re-encounter Isobel and it soon becomes clear that something is not quite right with her. Then Claire and her family end up in Eve's house, and the tension becomes almost palpable. At a certain point I just didn't trust any of the secondary characters anymore. As the story unfolds, some weird stuff happens and I kept wondering about its origin: was it supernatural, were some of the characters having a psychotic episode, was there evil intent? Very cleverly done. 

The story starts strong, then slows down, allowing us to get to know the characters and then races towards a rather satisfying finale. Many things in this book are not what they seem and I quite like that.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.