When The Lights Go Out
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3.0 • 36 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A woman is plunged into a bizarre case of stolen identity in Mary Kubica's most ambitious novel to date
A woman is plunged into a bizarre case of stolen identity in this ambitious and riveting thriller by the blockbuster bestselling author of The Good Girl, Mary Kubica
Jessie Sloane is on the path to rebuilding her life after years of caring for her ailing mother. She rents a new apartment and applies for college. But when the college informs her that her social security number has raised a red flag, Jessie discovers a shocking detail that forces her to question everything she's ever known.
Finding herself suddenly at the centre of a bizarre mystery, Jessie tumbles down a rabbit hole, which is only exacerbated by a relentless lack of sleep. As days pass and the insomnia worsens, it plays with Jessie's mind. Her judgment is blurred, her thoughts hampered by fatigue. Jessie begins to see things until she can no longer tell the difference between what's real and what she's only imagined.
Meanwhile, twenty years earlier and two hundred and fifty miles away, another woman's split–second decision may hold the key to Jessie's secret past. Is Jessie really who she thinks she is? Has her whole life been a lie? The truth will shock her to her core…if she lives long enough to discover it.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Jessie Sloane, the chief narrator of this lackluster psychological thriller from bestseller Kubica (Every Last Lie), spends her teen years caring for her mother, Eden, until Eden dies from cancer at their home in Chicago. Numb with grief, insomniac Jessie tries to get on with her life by applying to a community college, but a college official informs her that her Social Security number belongs to a girl who died 17 years earlier. Jessie never knew who her father was, nor does she have a birth certificate or a driver's license, so trying to find her identity seems insurmountable. As Jessie's insomnia worsens, she makes one bad decision after another. Flashbacks from Eden's viewpoint show that she and her husband, Aaron, were loving newlyweds, but their marriage soured when Eden became consumed with having a baby. Jessie's inability to tell reality from illusion quickly becomes tiresome, as does Eden and Aaron's story. Eden's account plods to a disappointing finale. Kubica fans will hope for a return to form next time.
Customer Reviews
Depressing
This book was beautifully written but far too depressing!
Disappointing
Whilst an engaging page turner with descriptive writing that made you feel the depth of exhaustion. It ended up being a cliche that most junior writers at some point use in their writing development.