18 Apr 2024

Before you knew my name, a review by Joanna

by | posted in: Joanna | 0

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Before You Knew My Name
Jacqueline Bublitz

320 pages
Atria
Published 2022

Bookshop.org

This was an unusual crime fiction story first published in 2022, about the murder of a young woman in New York City – the point of difference being that it’s told from the point of view of her ghost. It was last month’s selection for my book club – I had not heard of it previously, but note that it has won prizes and became something of a sleeper bestseller.

Alice Lee has run away to New York after her secret and highly inappropriate affair with her former art teacher turned sour. Her fortunes appear to be turning when she befriends her kindly landlord and develops a talent for photography – but then she is killed. Australian Ruby Jones has also run away to New York to escape an inappropriate relationship, but finds herself unable to escape her loneliness. After finding Alice’s body, she develops an obsession which will lead to new friendships – and into the sights of a murderer.

This was beautifully written, very sad – and awfully boring – it took me nearly two weeks to finish, because I found Ruby’s repetitive moping so tedious. There were aspects I liked – the way both women go about finding themselves in the Big Apple, and some of the side characters, but there was no mystery and the plot was rather predictable. Alice is a sympathetic narrator and does make you ache for her losses – her mother, her childhood, her innocence and then her potential future. Ruby however just irritated me with her wallowing in self-pity and mourning an exploitative relationship. I didn’t hate the book, but I just didn’t particularly enjoy it, and doubt I would read this author again, but many of my bookish friends loved it so give it a go if you like the sound of it.

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