Wednesday, June 10, 2009

No One You Know by Michelle Richmond


This is somewhat of a delayed post. I read this book on the floor of BandN about a week ago.  I loved Richmond's last book (The Year of Sand and Fog) and had been meaning to read this latest one for a while. 

I am floored by Richmond's talent. I love her style, the way she seamlessly builds a story, her use of language. I don't tend to read literary mysteries, and so this is another thing I love about Richmond - the way she helped me discover and enjoy a genre I don't often read.

This book tells the story of Ellie Enderlin, who is  trying to come to terms with the murder of her brilliant older sister Lila ( a gifted mathematician who was pursuing a Phd in Math) which occurred twenty years before.  After Lila's death Ellie shares all of her thoughts and emotions with a professor of hers, who turns the story into a bestselling true crime book which implicates Lila's math partner in her death and causes a great deal of anguish for Ellie's family. As an adult, Ellie finally digs beyond the story created for this crime book and realizes a great deal about her sister and her self.

I love the way Richmond interweaves quotes about writing and reading into this book. So many of the specific quotes spoke to me.  One is now on a clean sheet in my journal.

This book, like The Year of Sand of Fog, raises so many thought-provoking questions, about loss and love, crime, sibling relationships, secrets and story-telling. It's a great read.

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