Review: Blood Wedding by Pierre Lemaitre

Title: Blood Wedding

Author: Pierre Lemaitre

Published: June 2016, MacLehose Press Quercus

Format: Paperback, 288 pages

Source: Publisher

Sophie Duguet–young, successful, and happily married–thought at first she was becoming absentminded when she started misplacing her mail and forgetting where she’d parked her car the night before. But then, as her husband and colleagues pointed out with increasing frustration, she began forgetting things she’d said and done, too. And when she was detained by the police for shoplifting, a crime she didn’t remember committing, the confusion and blackouts that had begun to plague her took on a more sinister cast. Her marriage started to come apart at the seams.

Now Sophie is in much deeper water: the young boy she nannies is dead while in her care, a tragedy of which she has no memory. Afraid for her sanity and of what the police will do to her when the body is discovered, Sophie goes on the run, changing her identity and appearance to evade the law. Forced to lead a very different kind of life, one on the margins of society, Sophie wonders where everything went wrong.

Still, with a new name and a new life, she hopes that she’ll be able to put her demons to rest for good. It soon becomes clear, however, that the real nightmare has only just begun . . .

My thoughts:

This is the first book I’ve read by Pierre LeMaitre…but it definitely will not be the last! This was one crazy, insane, twisted psychological thriller – it totally had me on edge throughout and I enjoyed every minute of it…as crazy as that sounds!

This book is so twisted…I can’t stress that enough! From the clever way it’s told to the story itself – it totally gets under your skin. It even has that claustrophobic, paranoia feel to it at times. But that being said, it’s also really hard to write this review without giving anything away, so forgive me for being vague – I certainly do not want to reveal any spoilers…this is one book where the less you know going into it the better!

I loved the way this story was told. You get to know Sophie first and you start to feel that she’s a bit crazy. But you also feel a little bad for her that things go so wrong for her. I admit I was a bit confused as to what was going on here in this section…I couldn’t wait to see what was coming next! Then in the second part, you meet someone else…and slowly the pieces start to come together. What I really loved about this part is that now the story goes from narrative to journal entries – it just gets more engaging and addictive!

I’m telling you, you will be hard-pressed to put this book down once you start reading it! Between the craziness of what is going on, the addictive story-telling, and the big twist halfway through – I was utterly hooked!  And as much as we get answers in the second part, there are still questions to be answered. And we do get them…eventually, but not before Lemaitre ramps up the fear and terror just enough to have you sitting on the edge of your seat, jumping at the slightest sound you hear. This book will have you watching over your back and making sure you aren’t being followed for quite some time after you finish reading it…I know I did!

As I mentioned before, this is my first experience reading Pierre LeMaitre but it certainly will not be my last. I already have his newest book, Three Days and a Life, on my shelf to read…but I definitely plan on adding his other books to my reading list as well! Have you read his books? If so, what are your favorites and which do you recommend I start with?