Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
Published: October 5, 2021
Source: ARC Paperback via Publisher / Audio via Netgalley
Summary:
One secret.
Eight cryptic words.
Lifetimes of ruin.
Wayland Maynard is just eight years old when he sees his father kill himself, finds a note that reads I am not who you think I am, and is left reeling with grief and shock. Who was his father if not the loving man Wayland knew? Terrified, Wayland keeps the note a secret, but his reasons for being afraid are just beginning.
Eight years later, Wayland makes a shocking discovery and becomes certain the note is the key to unlocking a past his mother and others in his town want to keep buried.
With the help of two friends, Wayland searches for the truth. Together they uncover strange messages scribbled in his father’s old books, a sinister history behind the town’s most powerful family, and a bizarre tragedy possibly linked to Wayland’s birth. Each revelation raises more questions and deepens Wayland’s suspicions of everyone around him. Soon, he’ll regret he ever found the note, trusted his friends, or believed in such a thing as the truth.
I Am Not Who You Think I Am is an ingenious, addictive, and shattering tale of grief, obsession, and fate as eight words lead to lifetimes of ruin.
My thoughts:
I have been a fan of Eric Rickstad’s books for a while now and have been patiently waiting for his next book…so as soon as I saw this latest book coming out, I immediately requested it and I was not disappointed!
This is a dark and gritty book, yet I was captivated from the very start. It’s one that really kept me guessing all the way through and I loved the unique way it was presented – as a letter in the local newspaper. And then we get the full backstory to fill us in on just what transpired. And what a story it is…full of twists and turns that ends up taking us in a direction I did not see coming.
This is the type of book that each time we learn something, more questions arise. And I love that because it keeps me invested in the story and desperate to figure things out, though in this case, I never saw things playing out the way they did. A young boy is traumatized by an incident he witnesses when he is eight years old and has never quite gotten over. Years later, something comes to light that makes him question what he really saw that night and sends him on a mission to discover more about who his father really was.
One of the aspects I love about Eric Rickstad’s writing is his sense of place, and in this case, it’s really his sense of time. This book is set in the mid 1980’s and so Wayland must rely on public records and the library to aid his search efforts. There was no internet or cell phones back then. I also loved that the messages that Wayland finds from his dad were in library books. This story really does a great job showing just how important the library is.
This book is such a layered, complex story that delves into secrets and grief and how that impacts a family. It takes an emotional toll on you at times, yet it’s also full of teenage angst. It’s raw and uncomfortable and quite the intense reading experience – the anxiety I felt at times throughout the book is unreal! Having the story told from a teenage point of view makes for a interesting perspective, yet it really works here. It quite clearly shows this author is a master of his craft and able to spin a story that keeps you invested no matter that protagonist. And this is one I won’t be forgetting anytime soon.
Audio thoughts:
This was narrated by Steven Weber and he did such a great job bringing this book to life. Even with the young protagonist, he was able to make the story sound believable. He got the teenage angst and he had an age-appropriate voice for Wayland and his friends – not too old and not too young. The story really translated well onto audio and I enjoyed listening to it.
