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Someone Like Me
From the author of the million-copy bestseller The Girl With All the Gifts comes a heart-stopping thriller with twists you won't see coming and a heroine you can't trust.
Liz Kendall wouldn't hurt a fly. Even when times get tough, she's devoted to bringing up her two kids in a loving home.
But there's another side to Liz - one that's dark and malicious. She will do anything to get her way, no matter how extreme.
And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating.
Love her or hate her: there are two sides to every story....
Liz Kendall wouldn't hurt a fly. Even when times get tough, she's devoted to bringing up her two kids in a loving home.
But there's another side to Liz - one that's dark and malicious. She will do anything to get her way, no matter how extreme.
And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating.
Love her or hate her: there are two sides to every story....
501 pages, Hardcover
First published November 6, 2018
716 people are currently reading
13807 people want to read
About the author
M.R. Carey
41 books6,647 followersMike Carey is the acclaimed writer of Lucifer and Hellblazer (now filmed as Constantine). He has recently completed a comics adaptation of Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere, and is the current writer on Marvel's X-Men and Ultimate Fantastic Four. He has also written the screenplay for a movie, Frost Flowers, which is soon to be produced by Hadaly Films and Bluestar Pictures.
Also writes as Mike Carey
Also writes as Mike Carey
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 868 reviews
November 20, 2018
Sometimes you don't know what can hurt you until it's too late.
3 ½ stars.
Creepy. Creative. Reeeeaaaaallllllyy slow.
In case you missed it, this is by the same author who wrote The Girl With All the Gifts - a fact that doesn't seem to have been part of the book's promotion. I almost just passed it by. Fortunately, I did read it, and Carey's vivid imagination works its magic once again. Too bad there's about a 300-page slog before we get to the goods.
Slow build is great, but this level of waffle makes my mind wander. Maybe in a few years Carey will have mastered the Stephen King-style compelling waffle where 300-page stories become 1,000-page stories but you still enjoy them anyway. Someone Like Me is not quite there yet.
It starts well. Liz Kendall finally fights back when her abusive ex-husband's temper rises, and yet she is left confused by her actions-- it felt almost as if someone else was acting in her place and controlling her body. So she seeks psychiatric help. Across town, Fran Watts is dealing with her own trauma. After being kidnapped as a young child, she now has bizarre hallucinations of a protector called Lady Jinx, a talking fox. These characters come together when Liz's son, Zac, becomes close to Fran.
It's not a spoiler to say that Carey has returned to the horror genre and supernatural elements soon rear their head. Liz feels more and more like she is losing control of her body to some... other thing (which makes for some very scary moments!). Fran returns to the details of her kidnapping and her abductor to try to figure out why her trauma is still so fresh, and her findings are more than she could have ever imagined.
In many ways, it is a smart creepy book. Carey has written a very unsettling horror story about domestic violence and its aftermath. It's a fantastic idea with a perfectly dramatic climax. I do think, though, that it should have shed at least 150 pages. There's lots of tedious overlong chunks of the story where the characters chase loose ends, or else Liz practices meditation to try to "cure" herself.
Despite my problems with it, there's no doubt in my mind that Carey is an author to watch.
CW: Domestic violence (graphic); kidnapping; ableism (specifically, the r-word).
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November 6, 2018
NOW AVAILABLE!! !!
like a dopus, i read this way back in august and did that thing where you’re like, “oh, this doesn’t come out until november - i have ages to review it!” and then suddenly it’s a week before halloween and even though the book hasn’t been archived on netgalley, the “lending period” or whatever for the e-copy has expired, taking all of my virtual bookmarks with it.
i’ve redownloaded it to make sure i get the basics right, but the way i usually write reviews (OOH, AN INSIGHT INTO MY PROCESS) is through the candytrail of bookmarks/folded-over pages; seeing what struck me during my reading - particularly well-stated passages that i wanted to quote or plot points that contributed to whatever assessment i was making of the book in my head while i was reading, and then i shape the review out around that.
now i’m just going to have to wing it.
i just went back and reread the publisher-approved synopsis to make sure i don’t go spilling any beans willy-nilly.
because this book is FULL of beans to spill.
it’s about a woman named liz - a single mother of two, a survivor of domestic abuse, struggling to make ends meet but otherwise happy; a good woman adored by her two children, with the respect and admiration of her community.
it’s about a girl named fran - a teenager, a survivor of a childhood abduction, struggling with PTSD-hallucinations and social awkwardness, protected by her imaginary friend - a fox named jinx who’s a battle-ready vulpine knight when she needs to be, and her father, who is doing his best on his own.
things happen, boundaries blur, decisions are made.
it’s about damage and coping mechanisms and recovery and violence and literal and figurative confrontations and notions of identity. it’s the perfect blend of speculative fiction/horror/dark fantasy with psychology/social philosophy/metaphysics that tumesces my jonathan carroll-lovin’ heart.
i liked this book very much, but my biggest swoons are entirely for fran’s half of the story. i love her, i love her relationship with her father, and obviously i love jinx more than anything. if there are any merchandising plans in place for this book, i want to be first in line for a jinx of my own.
that’s all i’m going to say about this one, partly because i’m hamstrung by my demoralizing bookmark loss, partly because loose lips sink ships, partly because this book is such a twisty genre-blendy journey, it's hard to pin down and it’s best if you experience it for yourself.
and you will.
because of jinx.
who is
the best.
come to my blog!
like a dopus, i read this way back in august and did that thing where you’re like, “oh, this doesn’t come out until november - i have ages to review it!” and then suddenly it’s a week before halloween and even though the book hasn’t been archived on netgalley, the “lending period” or whatever for the e-copy has expired, taking all of my virtual bookmarks with it.
i’ve redownloaded it to make sure i get the basics right, but the way i usually write reviews (OOH, AN INSIGHT INTO MY PROCESS) is through the candytrail of bookmarks/folded-over pages; seeing what struck me during my reading - particularly well-stated passages that i wanted to quote or plot points that contributed to whatever assessment i was making of the book in my head while i was reading, and then i shape the review out around that.
now i’m just going to have to wing it.
i just went back and reread the publisher-approved synopsis to make sure i don’t go spilling any beans willy-nilly.
because this book is FULL of beans to spill.
it’s about a woman named liz - a single mother of two, a survivor of domestic abuse, struggling to make ends meet but otherwise happy; a good woman adored by her two children, with the respect and admiration of her community.
it’s about a girl named fran - a teenager, a survivor of a childhood abduction, struggling with PTSD-hallucinations and social awkwardness, protected by her imaginary friend - a fox named jinx who’s a battle-ready vulpine knight when she needs to be, and her father, who is doing his best on his own.
things happen, boundaries blur, decisions are made.
it’s about damage and coping mechanisms and recovery and violence and literal and figurative confrontations and notions of identity. it’s the perfect blend of speculative fiction/horror/dark fantasy with psychology/social philosophy/metaphysics that tumesces my jonathan carroll-lovin’ heart.
i liked this book very much, but my biggest swoons are entirely for fran’s half of the story. i love her, i love her relationship with her father, and obviously i love jinx more than anything. if there are any merchandising plans in place for this book, i want to be first in line for a jinx of my own.
that’s all i’m going to say about this one, partly because i’m hamstrung by my demoralizing bookmark loss, partly because loose lips sink ships, partly because this book is such a twisty genre-blendy journey, it's hard to pin down and it’s best if you experience it for yourself.
and you will.
because of jinx.
who is
the best.
come to my blog!
May 8, 2019
I received an advanced review copy of Someone Like Me in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank M.R. Carey and Orbit Books. Minor spoilers may follow.
This narrative opens with Liz's ex-husband Marc attacking her when she asks why her kids are back so late and refuses his request that they should be able go out for a meal that night with their father at this late hour. He throttles her, in an extremely violent fashion, and something in Liz changes, perhaps even takes over so that Liz is an observer in or around her own body. She stabs him in the face with a broken bottle and then returns to her normal calm and grounded self. Was it her that was that violent even though it was self-defense?
This is an exceptional psychological thriller that blew my mind. It follows four point of view perspectives in the third person. I won't say whether or not the same character is presented in these point of views by their different personalities... but why would I write that if that wasn't the case?
The two main characters are Liz and Fran. Liz is the loving, devoted and admirable parent who has a violent ex. For ten years she thought his apologies were legitimate as she is a decent yet blindsided lady who loved her children as any mother would. Fran is a teenager who has hallucinations, mental illness and has had a horrific ordeal when she was six years old and was kidnapped by a deranged individual for having a strange shadow. She also has an imaginary protector called Lady Jinx who is a fox, wields a sword and looks after Fran, and is one of her only friends and companions... even though it is only in her mind.
"Less like a hallucination and more like a memento mori."
It's very difficult to review this book without spoiling what happens. Essentially, Liz has two personalities. A Liz and a Beth. Beth is a being who has died 100's of times in alternative universes after being murdered by Marc. Her life was almost a parallel of Liz's with the same lover, children, habits, haunts, and lifestyle yet, as I recently read in Mark Lawrence's One Word Kill the theory is presented that every decision you can make, in an alternate universe your choice would have a differentiating outcome. Beth crosses worlds after death and haunts Liz. Wanting to take over and do what she wanted to do to her universe's Marc and raise the kids she lost the way she would. It's deep, haunting and a little bit mind-bending.
There aren't many main characters in this. It is almost entirely focused on the main two players who I've mentioned's life and families. We have Zac who stands up for Fran at school after protecting her when she's called 'Freaky Fran'. Molly, Zac's sister, is a hyper 6-year-old who has the imagination of the finest writers and the way she questions all would put politicians to shame. There is also Fran's awesome father Gil who is the epitome of how a single father should be, without taking into consideration that his daughter sees changes in her reality as frequent as she visits her school.
This book was really interesting and intriguing for me and I'd love to know what research M.R. Carey did to get the insight into his characters' minds. I've suffered from mental illness and I've seen the ghosts or the shadows at the end of the room or by the door that shouldn't be there. I personally have changed plains whilst still being awake in this world. I've heard voices of friends in my mind telling me stuff even though I've not seen them for five years. These experiences are included here but heightened sevenfold so I'm interested how true what is mentioned here is accurate in real life cases. But I digress, this is an absolutely spectacular book that has far too low a rating on Goodreads for it's quality. I'll be checking out his past and future works as soon as I can. x
This narrative opens with Liz's ex-husband Marc attacking her when she asks why her kids are back so late and refuses his request that they should be able go out for a meal that night with their father at this late hour. He throttles her, in an extremely violent fashion, and something in Liz changes, perhaps even takes over so that Liz is an observer in or around her own body. She stabs him in the face with a broken bottle and then returns to her normal calm and grounded self. Was it her that was that violent even though it was self-defense?
This is an exceptional psychological thriller that blew my mind. It follows four point of view perspectives in the third person. I won't say whether or not the same character is presented in these point of views by their different personalities... but why would I write that if that wasn't the case?
The two main characters are Liz and Fran. Liz is the loving, devoted and admirable parent who has a violent ex. For ten years she thought his apologies were legitimate as she is a decent yet blindsided lady who loved her children as any mother would. Fran is a teenager who has hallucinations, mental illness and has had a horrific ordeal when she was six years old and was kidnapped by a deranged individual for having a strange shadow. She also has an imaginary protector called Lady Jinx who is a fox, wields a sword and looks after Fran, and is one of her only friends and companions... even though it is only in her mind.
"Less like a hallucination and more like a memento mori."
It's very difficult to review this book without spoiling what happens. Essentially, Liz has two personalities. A Liz and a Beth. Beth is a being who has died 100's of times in alternative universes after being murdered by Marc. Her life was almost a parallel of Liz's with the same lover, children, habits, haunts, and lifestyle yet, as I recently read in Mark Lawrence's One Word Kill the theory is presented that every decision you can make, in an alternate universe your choice would have a differentiating outcome. Beth crosses worlds after death and haunts Liz. Wanting to take over and do what she wanted to do to her universe's Marc and raise the kids she lost the way she would. It's deep, haunting and a little bit mind-bending.
There aren't many main characters in this. It is almost entirely focused on the main two players who I've mentioned's life and families. We have Zac who stands up for Fran at school after protecting her when she's called 'Freaky Fran'. Molly, Zac's sister, is a hyper 6-year-old who has the imagination of the finest writers and the way she questions all would put politicians to shame. There is also Fran's awesome father Gil who is the epitome of how a single father should be, without taking into consideration that his daughter sees changes in her reality as frequent as she visits her school.
This book was really interesting and intriguing for me and I'd love to know what research M.R. Carey did to get the insight into his characters' minds. I've suffered from mental illness and I've seen the ghosts or the shadows at the end of the room or by the door that shouldn't be there. I personally have changed plains whilst still being awake in this world. I've heard voices of friends in my mind telling me stuff even though I've not seen them for five years. These experiences are included here but heightened sevenfold so I'm interested how true what is mentioned here is accurate in real life cases. But I digress, this is an absolutely spectacular book that has far too low a rating on Goodreads for it's quality. I'll be checking out his past and future works as soon as I can. x
October 23, 2018
Liz and Fran are formidable characters. Both as equally strong, but in different ways.
This book blew my socks off, I kid you not.
As the story builds so does the plot, the reader is slowly getting into this unique and mesmerising story until you can’t believe what you read without gasping.
This author really has a way of whetting a readers appetite and keeping you thoroughly invested.
I’m not sure if this is thriller alone, it verges on horror. But not in the sense of horror genre fans, it’s difficult to explain without giving the story away.
I’ve written this review in a way that I’m saying how it made me feel, not so much of the story as the blurb gives enough.
Absolutely loved it
November 7, 2018
5☆ Intoxicating! Page Turner!
Wow oh wow what an opening.
The first few pages of Someone Like Me had me gasping for breath. I knew from that point on it was going to be a special read and I wasn't wrong!
The book opens with Liz literally being strangled to death by her Ex Husband Marc as he has a violent outburst, when bringing home the children.
Luckily he has no plans to bring them home as he wants to keep them out on a school night, so they wasn't able to witness the vicious assault on their mother!
But from somewhere deep down inside Liz finds her inner strength and stabs Marc in the face with a shard of broken glass.
Told you it left me breathless!!
I don't want to give anything away in case I spoil it for anyone. Trust me you won't want to miss out on reading this gripping book.
The blurb was intensely intriguing, the plot is no exception it's simply a gripping, intense, dark, compulsive read that once you delve in your not going to be able to stop reading.
The characters were extremely well written, multi layered complex characters, I couldn't help warming too.
I loved both Liz and Fran and uncovering their stories. Both tragic and deep rooted.
The pace is fluid and captivating, that Ramps up the tension page by page.
The plot and characters kept me on the edge of my seat. Overall a dark,sinister, yet very satisfying read. One that I couldn't put down.
Yes this is a very long read!, But one that is so gripping those pages just fly by.
This is my first book my Carey and can't believe I have only just discovered this Author. Definitely an Author going on my to watch out for list.
I'm not too sure how where to place this book in terms of genre, so for me it's Sinister Suspenseful Thriller, that delves into Pyschological Thriller / horror.
Either way.... you won't want to miss out on reading this Endearingly Gripping Read!
Thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Tours and Little Brown Book Club for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
My Review is also on my Blog Website :-
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/1...
Wow oh wow what an opening.
The first few pages of Someone Like Me had me gasping for breath. I knew from that point on it was going to be a special read and I wasn't wrong!
The book opens with Liz literally being strangled to death by her Ex Husband Marc as he has a violent outburst, when bringing home the children.
Luckily he has no plans to bring them home as he wants to keep them out on a school night, so they wasn't able to witness the vicious assault on their mother!
But from somewhere deep down inside Liz finds her inner strength and stabs Marc in the face with a shard of broken glass.
Told you it left me breathless!!
I don't want to give anything away in case I spoil it for anyone. Trust me you won't want to miss out on reading this gripping book.
The blurb was intensely intriguing, the plot is no exception it's simply a gripping, intense, dark, compulsive read that once you delve in your not going to be able to stop reading.
The characters were extremely well written, multi layered complex characters, I couldn't help warming too.
I loved both Liz and Fran and uncovering their stories. Both tragic and deep rooted.
The pace is fluid and captivating, that Ramps up the tension page by page.
The plot and characters kept me on the edge of my seat. Overall a dark,sinister, yet very satisfying read. One that I couldn't put down.
Yes this is a very long read!, But one that is so gripping those pages just fly by.
This is my first book my Carey and can't believe I have only just discovered this Author. Definitely an Author going on my to watch out for list.
I'm not too sure how where to place this book in terms of genre, so for me it's Sinister Suspenseful Thriller, that delves into Pyschological Thriller / horror.
Either way.... you won't want to miss out on reading this Endearingly Gripping Read!
Thank you to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Tours and Little Brown Book Club for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
My Review is also on my Blog Website :-
https://dashfan81.blogspot.com/2018/1...
November 4, 2018
It's incredibly difficult to write a review for a book where the publisher has offered so little information in the description. Honestly, I didn't care if it had a description at all, it's written by M.R. Carey and that's all I needed to know.
Perhaps the reasoning behind the vague synopsis is that this story defies a simple summary, and really must be read if you want to understand what all the brouhaha is about.
If you're reading this because you're a fan of The Girl With All the Gifts, I suggest you go into this with an open mind because the two books share no comparisons. In my opinion, this story is more suitable for a mature audience.
I've noticed a lot of reviewers have given very detailed descriptions about the plot of this book, I, however, do not feel that it is my place to do so. Therefore, I'm just going to detail my general feelings about the book.
This is a long book, 512 pages, but I didn't feel like any of the pages were unnecessary and I got through it pretty quickly. Other reviewers have compared it to a Stephen King novel and I wholeheartedly agree with that assessment. It's very difficult to categorize this book.. it's family drama meets science fiction meets paranormal with a splash of horror.
"...palimsest...something that has been written on, imperfectly erased and then written on again."
(that's the only hint you're going to get from me)
M.R. Carey's writing is descriptive and engaging as always.
I fell deep into the first half of the story, it's so interesting and unlike anything I've ever read before. The second half fell a little short for me and I never felt like there was any crescendo to the story.
All in all this was an enjoyable and interesting read that I've no doubt fans of this author will eat up like peanut butter cups.
⭐ 3.5 Stars rounded up for originality
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Perhaps the reasoning behind the vague synopsis is that this story defies a simple summary, and really must be read if you want to understand what all the brouhaha is about.
If you're reading this because you're a fan of The Girl With All the Gifts, I suggest you go into this with an open mind because the two books share no comparisons. In my opinion, this story is more suitable for a mature audience.
I've noticed a lot of reviewers have given very detailed descriptions about the plot of this book, I, however, do not feel that it is my place to do so. Therefore, I'm just going to detail my general feelings about the book.
This is a long book, 512 pages, but I didn't feel like any of the pages were unnecessary and I got through it pretty quickly. Other reviewers have compared it to a Stephen King novel and I wholeheartedly agree with that assessment. It's very difficult to categorize this book.. it's family drama meets science fiction meets paranormal with a splash of horror.
"...palimsest...something that has been written on, imperfectly erased and then written on again."
(that's the only hint you're going to get from me)
M.R. Carey's writing is descriptive and engaging as always.
I fell deep into the first half of the story, it's so interesting and unlike anything I've ever read before. The second half fell a little short for me and I never felt like there was any crescendo to the story.
All in all this was an enjoyable and interesting read that I've no doubt fans of this author will eat up like peanut butter cups.
⭐ 3.5 Stars rounded up for originality
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 19, 2018
I don’t think anyone can be unaware that I’m a huge fan of this author – but Someone Like Me was an entirely incredible read and quite possibly his best yet.
Entirely absorbing, with a huge emotional core and a tendency to make you crazy, Someone Like Me has so many levels I can’t even begin to describe them all – also I don’t really want to as to give anything much away would be a travesty. You just need to read it.
Liz (yes I do love that one of the major character’s in this brilliant book just happens to share my name) is a good mother and a normal, lovely person – she is, however, facing some very difficult times. Enter another Liz – a darker, violent and more tenacious Liz – one who won’t lie down in the face of adversity and will take any steps to ensure survival and to get her own way. But is she the symptom of an illness or is she something much more dangerous?
Therein lies the basic premise but what follows is a highly addictive, beautifully written, fantastical tale that goes in unexpected directions, often floors you and at the same time hits you in all those emotional places. The author leads you on a dark and dastardly journey, whilst messing with your head and giving you an attachment to his characters that will never go away. Liz is not alone in all this, but I’ll leave you to meet the rest on your own, although I have to mention Jinx who will steal your heart and quite possibly run off with it, so watch out…
It’s actually a really hard book to categorise – and I won’t even try, I hate labels anyway – but I will say it takes at least a little inspiration from Jekyll and Hyde, has a Stephen King like way of scaring you to your bones with seemingly innocuous moments that build and eventually leads to a genuinely edge of the seat finale where absolutely anything could happen. Someone Like Me is a tour de force of a novel, an epic read that grabs you immediately and draws you further and further in with every passing chapter – If “The Girl With All The Gifts” was the novel that reminded me why I loved reading then “Someone Like Me” is the one that encompasses all of that and also tells me I can still be surprised and utterly delighted, despite the sheer volume of books I get through. I loved it, heart and soul, first page to last and the quieter moments of it, the emotional sense of it, will stay with me for a long long time. Keep them coming!
Highly HIGHLY recommended. A book to be devoured then pondered and I also highly recommend having chocolate and wine handy in the aftermath…
Entirely absorbing, with a huge emotional core and a tendency to make you crazy, Someone Like Me has so many levels I can’t even begin to describe them all – also I don’t really want to as to give anything much away would be a travesty. You just need to read it.
Liz (yes I do love that one of the major character’s in this brilliant book just happens to share my name) is a good mother and a normal, lovely person – she is, however, facing some very difficult times. Enter another Liz – a darker, violent and more tenacious Liz – one who won’t lie down in the face of adversity and will take any steps to ensure survival and to get her own way. But is she the symptom of an illness or is she something much more dangerous?
Therein lies the basic premise but what follows is a highly addictive, beautifully written, fantastical tale that goes in unexpected directions, often floors you and at the same time hits you in all those emotional places. The author leads you on a dark and dastardly journey, whilst messing with your head and giving you an attachment to his characters that will never go away. Liz is not alone in all this, but I’ll leave you to meet the rest on your own, although I have to mention Jinx who will steal your heart and quite possibly run off with it, so watch out…
It’s actually a really hard book to categorise – and I won’t even try, I hate labels anyway – but I will say it takes at least a little inspiration from Jekyll and Hyde, has a Stephen King like way of scaring you to your bones with seemingly innocuous moments that build and eventually leads to a genuinely edge of the seat finale where absolutely anything could happen. Someone Like Me is a tour de force of a novel, an epic read that grabs you immediately and draws you further and further in with every passing chapter – If “The Girl With All The Gifts” was the novel that reminded me why I loved reading then “Someone Like Me” is the one that encompasses all of that and also tells me I can still be surprised and utterly delighted, despite the sheer volume of books I get through. I loved it, heart and soul, first page to last and the quieter moments of it, the emotional sense of it, will stay with me for a long long time. Keep them coming!
Highly HIGHLY recommended. A book to be devoured then pondered and I also highly recommend having chocolate and wine handy in the aftermath…
June 7, 2019
Weighing in at 500 pages, Someone Like Me presents the reader a considerable challenge. To decide if you’d like it, having enjoyed M. R. Carey’s previous The Girl with All the Gifts or Fellside is not a surefire indication. There is a blurb on the back cover from Lauren Beukes that’s a clue; the flavor of Someone Like Me is very much like The Shining Girls, including the setting in a run-down city in middle-America, time travel, serial killers, and paranormal features. If also you liked the notorious WTF ending to Sarah Pinborough’s Behind Her Eyes, you will have a good time with this one.
I was less happy with the setting, a very downscale section of Pittsburgh called Larimer. It’s daring of an English author to attempt to create American characters and Carey went to a lot of trouble to use appropriate details and language (including a can of Sunoco gasoline), though a few idioms such as “fit for purpose” “lived rough” and “slept rough” and “washing-up gloves” seemed out of place. It was also gratifying that the English edition uses American spelling and punctuation—I wish American publishers would extend the same courtesy to English authors. I caught only one distinctive mark of Pittsburgh dialect: Fran’s father addresses her as “doll baby.” But somehow the setting did not quite work for me. I wonder if Carey would have done better artistically putting the story in Liverpool, with lots of Scouse dialect.
Maybe the principal paranormal device, the Skadegamutc, determined the American setting, though even then Canada or New England would be more likely. Fran Watts, a sixteen year old girl, was kidnapped a decade ago and kept at a derelict motel by a mad killer called the Shadowman. She was found, apparently unharmed, but accompanied by a defective memory, a mammoth case of PTSD and a companion visible only to Fran, an armor-clad sword-carrying fox (actually a vixen) named Lady Jinx. At school she befriends Zac, whose mother Liz is a victim of domestic abuse by her violent ex Marc. But in the very opening chapter, as Marc attacks her, Liz suddenly discovers superpowers of self-defense, and gives him a what-for with a broken bottle.
Though invisible companions, paranormal abilities, and the living dead are familiar items in fantasy fiction, Carey gives them new and engaging features. Nothing ultimately is explained, but if you believe in theories of multiple universes and that time is only an illusion, you have some notion of where everything is coming from. There is also a thoroughly unpleasant villain, but one that you will sometimes cheer for, because some of the victims quite deserve what happens to them.
I fear that I must rank Someone Like Me below GWATG and Fellside. The principal character of the former is more attractive, though Fran and her vulpine escort were great fun. And the spiritual issues in Fellside were much deeper and moving. Zac and Fran make a great couple, but their estrangement felt dictated by the plot rather than being consistent with character. I am very annoyed by the "plot-driven" versus "character-driven" distinction: both should work in harmony. Artistically, the book is too long. Writing teachers tell us to use dialogue rather than narration to inform the reader, but sometimes it would be better to have a paragraph of narrative instead of two pages of less than sparkling dialogue to convey the reader the same information. The final violent thriller conclusion was necessary, but it went on too long. Cutting this book by a quarter would lose little.
M. R. Carey continues to be the best contemporary author to occupy the borderland between fantasy and “realistic” fiction and his sheer inventiveness is thoroughly on display. If you enjoy this genre of literature, even with a bit of flab this is a very good read.
I was less happy with the setting, a very downscale section of Pittsburgh called Larimer. It’s daring of an English author to attempt to create American characters and Carey went to a lot of trouble to use appropriate details and language (including a can of Sunoco gasoline), though a few idioms such as “fit for purpose” “lived rough” and “slept rough” and “washing-up gloves” seemed out of place. It was also gratifying that the English edition uses American spelling and punctuation—I wish American publishers would extend the same courtesy to English authors. I caught only one distinctive mark of Pittsburgh dialect: Fran’s father addresses her as “doll baby.” But somehow the setting did not quite work for me. I wonder if Carey would have done better artistically putting the story in Liverpool, with lots of Scouse dialect.
Maybe the principal paranormal device, the Skadegamutc, determined the American setting, though even then Canada or New England would be more likely. Fran Watts, a sixteen year old girl, was kidnapped a decade ago and kept at a derelict motel by a mad killer called the Shadowman. She was found, apparently unharmed, but accompanied by a defective memory, a mammoth case of PTSD and a companion visible only to Fran, an armor-clad sword-carrying fox (actually a vixen) named Lady Jinx. At school she befriends Zac, whose mother Liz is a victim of domestic abuse by her violent ex Marc. But in the very opening chapter, as Marc attacks her, Liz suddenly discovers superpowers of self-defense, and gives him a what-for with a broken bottle.
Though invisible companions, paranormal abilities, and the living dead are familiar items in fantasy fiction, Carey gives them new and engaging features. Nothing ultimately is explained, but if you believe in theories of multiple universes and that time is only an illusion, you have some notion of where everything is coming from. There is also a thoroughly unpleasant villain, but one that you will sometimes cheer for, because some of the victims quite deserve what happens to them.
I fear that I must rank Someone Like Me below GWATG and Fellside. The principal character of the former is more attractive, though Fran and her vulpine escort were great fun. And the spiritual issues in Fellside were much deeper and moving. Zac and Fran make a great couple, but their estrangement felt dictated by the plot rather than being consistent with character. I am very annoyed by the "plot-driven" versus "character-driven" distinction: both should work in harmony. Artistically, the book is too long. Writing teachers tell us to use dialogue rather than narration to inform the reader, but sometimes it would be better to have a paragraph of narrative instead of two pages of less than sparkling dialogue to convey the reader the same information. The final violent thriller conclusion was necessary, but it went on too long. Cutting this book by a quarter would lose little.
M. R. Carey continues to be the best contemporary author to occupy the borderland between fantasy and “realistic” fiction and his sheer inventiveness is thoroughly on display. If you enjoy this genre of literature, even with a bit of flab this is a very good read.
books-i-gave-up-on
November 12, 2018dnf @ 54%
I struggled with this book from the very start but kept pushing myself to read just a bit more until the story had a chance to grab me. Unfortunately, after reading more than half the book I am still finding it a struggle so it is time to give up on this one. I think that the premise is pretty interesting but I just feel nothing for the characters. I actually thought that Fern's voice was the most interesting part of the story. This was a book that I was really excited to get the chance to read but it just isn't working for me.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
I struggled with this book from the very start but kept pushing myself to read just a bit more until the story had a chance to grab me. Unfortunately, after reading more than half the book I am still finding it a struggle so it is time to give up on this one. I think that the premise is pretty interesting but I just feel nothing for the characters. I actually thought that Fern's voice was the most interesting part of the story. This was a book that I was really excited to get the chance to read but it just isn't working for me.
ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley.
May 15, 2019
4.5 stars ⭐️
‘It had been a memorable summer, and an eventful fall. But winter would be the same as it always was. In Pittsburg you just turned up your collar and went to sleep a little, inside, until the good weather came back again.’
~
Someone Like Me is the latest psychological thriller by M.R. Carey. The only novel I had previously read by this author was The Girl with All the Gifts, which was really enjoyable. So I was pretty happy to receive this review copy from Orbit, (thank you!) as I was in the mood for something twisty and dark!
Firstly, I have to say this review is really hard to write because I find with psychological thrillers and horrors, the less you know the better. Sometimes knowing too much can take the wow factor out of your reading experience, which I’ve had done to me in the past, and I wouldn’t want to do that to any of you. Therefore I will try to keep any any details on the narrative brief. I will say though that this book contains trigger warnings, and if you wish to know more DM me.
So anyhow, I’ll just concentrate on telling you about the characters I fell in love with, because there were two that were so remarkable to me and gave me all the feels!
Our two main protagonists are, Liz and Fran. Liz is a mother of two, who is utterly devoted to her kids. For the most part, Liz is a passive person, a bit of a doormat some might say, but she has a secret side to her though, one that’s much darker and one that, at the beginning of the novel, she battles to keep under control. As she struggles to find the strength to do it, things start to take a chaotic turn.
It did take me a while to warm to Liz; initially I found her story arc was a bit too slow, but once her inner conflict became paramount to her narrative, I was completely hooked. You all know I love dark scenes right? So it’ll be no surprise to you that I really did enjoy the darker side to Liz! I mean at times it was so entertaining, but by the end it had me bloody anxious. Gah! Things became insane!
~
‘So here we both are, Liz. Lizzie. Liz Kendall. Liz-not-Beth. Me with my mad skills at dying and not dying. You with a life.’
~
Now, let me move on to talk about Fran, because she is my first remarkable character. Fran is a teenager, a young girl who had suffered a traumatic experience in her childhood; an event that still haunts her today. Fran is shunned and ridiculed by her other classmates, until she meets Zac Kendall, who instantly defends her and gradually the two of them form a bond. Together they bit by bit try to piece together what exactly had happened to Fran all those years ago and decipher what it could mean.
Something I have found with Carey, is that he excels in his portrayal of teenagers. Fran was one of those absolutely endearing characters that throughout the book I just wanted to hug. She had such a maturity to her, such an open minded way of looking at life; she was both fragile and strong, caring and reserved, and all this was mixed with so much loneliness. Gosh, she was heartbreaking. I also felt Zac was done really well, he wasn’t surly or whiny, he truly wanted to help the people who meant the most to him. His banter with Fran was so witty - I loved it!
Now comes my second remarkable character, which undoubtedly was Jinx. I can’t even tell you much about this character because it’s better discovering this one completely for yourself! But I need to say one thing, because I’ll burst if I don’t! Jinx had a SWORD! A sword called Oathkeeper! Just... trust me you’ll fall in love with this one!
~
‘I am lady Jinx, of the Woodland table, and this blade in my hand is Oathkeeper forged before time began to strike thee down.’
~
So lastly, did I enjoy the ending of this novel? Yes I did, immensely. The pace picked up, the themes and story arc turned more complex, which I totally loved, and the plot became really intense. Although we didn’t get complete closure, overall it was pretty satisfying. I would definitely recommend to those who are looking for a genre bending read with some characters who will most certainly touch your heart.
‘It had been a memorable summer, and an eventful fall. But winter would be the same as it always was. In Pittsburg you just turned up your collar and went to sleep a little, inside, until the good weather came back again.’
~
Someone Like Me is the latest psychological thriller by M.R. Carey. The only novel I had previously read by this author was The Girl with All the Gifts, which was really enjoyable. So I was pretty happy to receive this review copy from Orbit, (thank you!) as I was in the mood for something twisty and dark!
Firstly, I have to say this review is really hard to write because I find with psychological thrillers and horrors, the less you know the better. Sometimes knowing too much can take the wow factor out of your reading experience, which I’ve had done to me in the past, and I wouldn’t want to do that to any of you. Therefore I will try to keep any any details on the narrative brief. I will say though that this book contains trigger warnings, and if you wish to know more DM me.
So anyhow, I’ll just concentrate on telling you about the characters I fell in love with, because there were two that were so remarkable to me and gave me all the feels!
Our two main protagonists are, Liz and Fran. Liz is a mother of two, who is utterly devoted to her kids. For the most part, Liz is a passive person, a bit of a doormat some might say, but she has a secret side to her though, one that’s much darker and one that, at the beginning of the novel, she battles to keep under control. As she struggles to find the strength to do it, things start to take a chaotic turn.
It did take me a while to warm to Liz; initially I found her story arc was a bit too slow, but once her inner conflict became paramount to her narrative, I was completely hooked. You all know I love dark scenes right? So it’ll be no surprise to you that I really did enjoy the darker side to Liz! I mean at times it was so entertaining, but by the end it had me bloody anxious. Gah! Things became insane!
~
‘So here we both are, Liz. Lizzie. Liz Kendall. Liz-not-Beth. Me with my mad skills at dying and not dying. You with a life.’
~
Now, let me move on to talk about Fran, because she is my first remarkable character. Fran is a teenager, a young girl who had suffered a traumatic experience in her childhood; an event that still haunts her today. Fran is shunned and ridiculed by her other classmates, until she meets Zac Kendall, who instantly defends her and gradually the two of them form a bond. Together they bit by bit try to piece together what exactly had happened to Fran all those years ago and decipher what it could mean.
Something I have found with Carey, is that he excels in his portrayal of teenagers. Fran was one of those absolutely endearing characters that throughout the book I just wanted to hug. She had such a maturity to her, such an open minded way of looking at life; she was both fragile and strong, caring and reserved, and all this was mixed with so much loneliness. Gosh, she was heartbreaking. I also felt Zac was done really well, he wasn’t surly or whiny, he truly wanted to help the people who meant the most to him. His banter with Fran was so witty - I loved it!
Now comes my second remarkable character, which undoubtedly was Jinx. I can’t even tell you much about this character because it’s better discovering this one completely for yourself! But I need to say one thing, because I’ll burst if I don’t! Jinx had a SWORD! A sword called Oathkeeper! Just... trust me you’ll fall in love with this one!
~
‘I am lady Jinx, of the Woodland table, and this blade in my hand is Oathkeeper forged before time began to strike thee down.’
~
So lastly, did I enjoy the ending of this novel? Yes I did, immensely. The pace picked up, the themes and story arc turned more complex, which I totally loved, and the plot became really intense. Although we didn’t get complete closure, overall it was pretty satisfying. I would definitely recommend to those who are looking for a genre bending read with some characters who will most certainly touch your heart.
November 13, 2018
Someone Like Me by M.R. Carey is a story about violence and mental health issues.
Liz Is a mother of two and trying to make ends meet. Her abusive ex husband is still around and making life very difficult.
Fran is a teenager with a very traumatic past and trying to cope with school and life in general.
It's was hard to discover what was going on in this book and I had a lot of theories about what was happening. It was scary in parts.
I would like to thank NetGalley and for Little Brown Books UK my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Liz Is a mother of two and trying to make ends meet. Her abusive ex husband is still around and making life very difficult.
Fran is a teenager with a very traumatic past and trying to cope with school and life in general.
It's was hard to discover what was going on in this book and I had a lot of theories about what was happening. It was scary in parts.
I would like to thank NetGalley and for Little Brown Books UK my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 20, 2018
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2018/11/18/...
M.R. Carey, whose name has been at the forefront of the horror fiction scene in recent years, is proving he’s still in the zone with his newest novel Someone Like Me, a spooky psychological thriller with supernatural undertones. It’s arguably more lowkey than his last few books, but no less disturbing as the author diverts his attention towards exploring the idea and terror of losing one’s mind.
The story opens on a distressing scene of domestic violence. Liz Kendall, a meek and gentle divorcee and single mom who has finally left her husband Marc after years of physical abuse, is trying once again to stand up to him after he brings the kids home late from a scheduled custody visit. The situation quickly escalates, culminating with Marc’s brutal hands wrapped tight around her neck. And that’s when it happens. Liz finds herself fighting back, but the sensation of it is all wrong. Her actions don’t feel like her own; it’s like some outside force has taken over her body, guiding her fingers to the bottle which she uses to smash against Marc’s face. The fight is ended, and Liz is safe again once the cops arrive to file a report. But still, she can’t shake the chilling memory of that paralyzing moment, when she first lost control of herself.
Meanwhile, not too far away, 16-year-old Fran Watts is fighting hard to get a handle on her own psychological traumas. A victim of a high-profile abduction case when she was six, she has been suffering hallucinations ever since. Some of them aren’t so bad, like Lady Jinx, the sword-wielding magical fox who has served as Fran’s constant companion and best friend for years. Other times though, the symptoms can become downright frightening, like when Fran thinks she can see different versions of people or events around her, always changing and clashing. One day, she is surprised when she encounters her classmate Zac Kendall in the waiting room of her psychiatrist’s office, and what’s even more shocking, her visions show her something very wrong his mother, Liz.
While contemplating how to review Someone Like Me, I flashed back to the difficult time I had writing about The Girl with All the Gifts, which was another tough book to rave about without revealing spoilers. This seems to be the norm with M.R. Carey novels. His stories are often mysterious and complex, with many layers in which to hide all kinds of secrets and surprises. As a reader, much of the joy lies in teasing out all these for yourself. It can be a bit disorienting at first, and maybe even a bit exasperating, to venture into this novel watching the early focus of the story flit all around and back and forth, wondering where all this setup will lead to. It’s clear after a while though, that everything is there for a reason. To truly experience the full impact of the later plot twists and revelations, you must first feel for the characters profoundly and completely, and this is what the first act sets out to do.
At first, no one—least of all the reader—knows what’s going on. We have middle-aged and overworked Liz, who initially appears to be making a mountain out of a molehill. So she felt removed from herself in the heat of the moment while attacking her ex-husband, but surely, a sudden and violent reaction in a life-threatening situation like that can be explained by a kind of fight-or-flight instinct? Gradually though, the realization dawns that Liz’s concerns may have more weight than originally thought. In the face of her changing behavior, I was torn between rooting for this new assertive Liz and feeling uncomfortably cognizant that this was probably Carey’s way of setting up for the other shoe to drop. Experience with his novels have taught me always stay on alert. Speaking of which, in another corner we have Fran, who is an even bigger enigma. Early on, her only connection to Liz is Zach, though this relationship eventually paves the way to a sequence of events that will change their lives forever. Fran’s hallucinatory companion Jinx, whose cutesy presence at first feels entirely out of place in this adult thriller redolent in dark themes, also ends up being the key to a knock-you-for-a-loop moment later the novel, bringing us back to the main lesson: never let your guard down when it comes to an M.R. Carey novel.
Someone Like Me is clever, extremely rich in its telling, and quite possibly the most emotionally engaging book I’ve read by the author so far. In fact, I think the raw, almost painful portrayal of the characters and their situations may have had a slightly adverse effect on its readability. This is quite different from the books in his The Girl with All the Gifts world, Fellside, or even his earlier novels and works in comics, but while it’s not the easiest read, I think it demonstrates a leveling up of Carey’s talent, and I doubt it’s even in its final form.
Ultimately, it’s great that he’s continuing to experiment and the push the limits of horror, changing the way we think about familiar ideas in the genre, whether they be zombies, hauntings, or malevolent preternatural possessions. Someone Like Me is a book that showcases his particular brand of genius, and it’s one I would recommend for readers who appreciate an unflinchingly honest portrayal of emotions and hard topics along with the chills in their horror reads.
M.R. Carey, whose name has been at the forefront of the horror fiction scene in recent years, is proving he’s still in the zone with his newest novel Someone Like Me, a spooky psychological thriller with supernatural undertones. It’s arguably more lowkey than his last few books, but no less disturbing as the author diverts his attention towards exploring the idea and terror of losing one’s mind.
The story opens on a distressing scene of domestic violence. Liz Kendall, a meek and gentle divorcee and single mom who has finally left her husband Marc after years of physical abuse, is trying once again to stand up to him after he brings the kids home late from a scheduled custody visit. The situation quickly escalates, culminating with Marc’s brutal hands wrapped tight around her neck. And that’s when it happens. Liz finds herself fighting back, but the sensation of it is all wrong. Her actions don’t feel like her own; it’s like some outside force has taken over her body, guiding her fingers to the bottle which she uses to smash against Marc’s face. The fight is ended, and Liz is safe again once the cops arrive to file a report. But still, she can’t shake the chilling memory of that paralyzing moment, when she first lost control of herself.
Meanwhile, not too far away, 16-year-old Fran Watts is fighting hard to get a handle on her own psychological traumas. A victim of a high-profile abduction case when she was six, she has been suffering hallucinations ever since. Some of them aren’t so bad, like Lady Jinx, the sword-wielding magical fox who has served as Fran’s constant companion and best friend for years. Other times though, the symptoms can become downright frightening, like when Fran thinks she can see different versions of people or events around her, always changing and clashing. One day, she is surprised when she encounters her classmate Zac Kendall in the waiting room of her psychiatrist’s office, and what’s even more shocking, her visions show her something very wrong his mother, Liz.
While contemplating how to review Someone Like Me, I flashed back to the difficult time I had writing about The Girl with All the Gifts, which was another tough book to rave about without revealing spoilers. This seems to be the norm with M.R. Carey novels. His stories are often mysterious and complex, with many layers in which to hide all kinds of secrets and surprises. As a reader, much of the joy lies in teasing out all these for yourself. It can be a bit disorienting at first, and maybe even a bit exasperating, to venture into this novel watching the early focus of the story flit all around and back and forth, wondering where all this setup will lead to. It’s clear after a while though, that everything is there for a reason. To truly experience the full impact of the later plot twists and revelations, you must first feel for the characters profoundly and completely, and this is what the first act sets out to do.
At first, no one—least of all the reader—knows what’s going on. We have middle-aged and overworked Liz, who initially appears to be making a mountain out of a molehill. So she felt removed from herself in the heat of the moment while attacking her ex-husband, but surely, a sudden and violent reaction in a life-threatening situation like that can be explained by a kind of fight-or-flight instinct? Gradually though, the realization dawns that Liz’s concerns may have more weight than originally thought. In the face of her changing behavior, I was torn between rooting for this new assertive Liz and feeling uncomfortably cognizant that this was probably Carey’s way of setting up for the other shoe to drop. Experience with his novels have taught me always stay on alert. Speaking of which, in another corner we have Fran, who is an even bigger enigma. Early on, her only connection to Liz is Zach, though this relationship eventually paves the way to a sequence of events that will change their lives forever. Fran’s hallucinatory companion Jinx, whose cutesy presence at first feels entirely out of place in this adult thriller redolent in dark themes, also ends up being the key to a knock-you-for-a-loop moment later the novel, bringing us back to the main lesson: never let your guard down when it comes to an M.R. Carey novel.
Someone Like Me is clever, extremely rich in its telling, and quite possibly the most emotionally engaging book I’ve read by the author so far. In fact, I think the raw, almost painful portrayal of the characters and their situations may have had a slightly adverse effect on its readability. This is quite different from the books in his The Girl with All the Gifts world, Fellside, or even his earlier novels and works in comics, but while it’s not the easiest read, I think it demonstrates a leveling up of Carey’s talent, and I doubt it’s even in its final form.
Ultimately, it’s great that he’s continuing to experiment and the push the limits of horror, changing the way we think about familiar ideas in the genre, whether they be zombies, hauntings, or malevolent preternatural possessions. Someone Like Me is a book that showcases his particular brand of genius, and it’s one I would recommend for readers who appreciate an unflinchingly honest portrayal of emotions and hard topics along with the chills in their horror reads.
November 18, 2018
“Sometimes you don't know what can hurt you until it's too late...”Liz Kendall has an alter ego. In response to a violent relationship, her more assertive and protective self has been rearing its head more and more. The thing is, it's absolutely involuntary. It's as if Liz is watching her physical form do some defensive maneuvering and she's no longer in the driver's seat, and it's getting less assertive and more aggressive. During a particularly violent incident, Liz feels this familiar but unwelcome force try to take the lead, and because she doesn't want to die, she lets it. It is in full control and it doesn't ever want to be locked up again. Liz goes from one violent relationship to another, only this time it's with herself.
Someone Like Me was not what I was expecting. At first, I found it offensive that a man would develop a female character who has to rely on her seemingly superhero alter ego to deal with domestic abuse. But then when I saw the dark turn this book took, I understood that this was a way of defining the two very distinct characters occupying this one body. The synopsis reads, “there are two sides to every story”. Yes, indeed. Liz's alter ego is not as protective as I first thought and this dark thriller/family drama/borderline horror story had me 100% invested all the way to the end. It's like “the upside down” (from Stranger Things) for adults, and the combination of characters along with all of Carey's imaginative elements works great in my opinion. Check it out for yourself... and keep an eye on your shadow!
My favorite quote:
“Once you give yourself permission to treat the person you're supposed to love like shit on your shoe, you don't ever rescind that permission. The more you do it, the more momentum you seem to get from having done it before. The benchmark keeps moving further and further, and there isn't any end point except the obvious one.”
November 17, 2018
This is a story that I recommend really highly: My only experience previously with this author was The Girl With All The Gifts: well this, in my opinion, blew that one out of the water.
I loved both stories but this just had the wow factor for me.
I am not going to go into the whole plotline here as with the blurb being so vague in nature I really think its best to just experience this in its whole entirety without any preconceptions.
That is what I myself did and what a fantastical journey this took me on: one that totally exceeded my expectations and then some.
So If I had to pigeon-hole this to fit into a particular genre I would say paranormal suspense.
It's really a hard one to define as it really does cross-genre boundaries and its actually in a class all of its own.
what I would say is Someone like me is an extremely unique experience that is an addictive page-turner and though relatively long in actual length it never for me dragged: in fact, I read this in one entire day as I couldn't put it down: my poor family was left to fend for themselves.
This one for me was a no-brainer in terms of do I recommend reading: well hell yeh! of course.
I voluntary reviewed an Arc of Someone Like Me.
All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
November 22, 2018
Waaa. Yeah, I'm whining a bit over what seemed like a misfire for MR Carey, an attempted taser blast that for me just limply hit the floor. Zero electricity.
That said, I'm an old gal pushing 60 with reading tastes a little different than the average reader (if there is such a beast). Young adults or those in their teens might view this novel about our better and worse selves more favorably. I'm always on the lookout for great YA as my 15 year old is an avid reader. This is not a bad read - just nowhere near Carey’s past abilities.
The book involves some mojo mix of magical realism/so-so horror early on but fails to get interesting until the 49% mark. There is a wimpy-ish mom character and a resilient oddball teen girl who are our leads. A perfect teen boy, an imaginary friend, a fierce inner voice, and your standard abusive ex husband straight out of Central Casting. The supernatural aspect shows up later.
A distracting beef is that the book is set in Pittsburgh, but it is obvious that the author did not have any yanks (is that what y'all call us?) go over this book with a fine toothed comb before publishing. A living room is consistently referred to as the lounge. Corn on the cob is called cob corns. A gas grill, pot luck dinner, and a handful of other items are referred to in British terminology. I was waiting for a lift to take someone up to the 15th floor. This was a text book example of why one should not set a story in a place where you don't know the vernacular. I say that as an American. All of these discrepancies probably never occurred to Brits. While it is a minor beef, these repeated booboos kept pulling me out of the story.
Stick with Carey's earlier reads if you're trying him out or give the book to your 15 year old daughter. If you’re already a Carey fan, by all means read this, but keep your expectations in check. Maybe he was rushed to publish this one.
That said, I'm an old gal pushing 60 with reading tastes a little different than the average reader (if there is such a beast). Young adults or those in their teens might view this novel about our better and worse selves more favorably. I'm always on the lookout for great YA as my 15 year old is an avid reader. This is not a bad read - just nowhere near Carey’s past abilities.
The book involves some mojo mix of magical realism/so-so horror early on but fails to get interesting until the 49% mark. There is a wimpy-ish mom character and a resilient oddball teen girl who are our leads. A perfect teen boy, an imaginary friend, a fierce inner voice, and your standard abusive ex husband straight out of Central Casting. The supernatural aspect shows up later.
A distracting beef is that the book is set in Pittsburgh, but it is obvious that the author did not have any yanks (is that what y'all call us?) go over this book with a fine toothed comb before publishing. A living room is consistently referred to as the lounge. Corn on the cob is called cob corns. A gas grill, pot luck dinner, and a handful of other items are referred to in British terminology. I was waiting for a lift to take someone up to the 15th floor. This was a text book example of why one should not set a story in a place where you don't know the vernacular. I say that as an American. All of these discrepancies probably never occurred to Brits. While it is a minor beef, these repeated booboos kept pulling me out of the story.
Stick with Carey's earlier reads if you're trying him out or give the book to your 15 year old daughter. If you’re already a Carey fan, by all means read this, but keep your expectations in check. Maybe he was rushed to publish this one.
dreaded-dnf
November 18, 2018My apologies to NetGalley, the publisher and author, but I will not be finishing this book. At 35% it has still not captured my attention and I have no feelings for the characters. Perhaps I will pick it up at another time and if so, I will provide feedback then. Thank you for the opportunity.
DNF-No rating
DNF-No rating
November 24, 2018
Gotta watch that Mike Carey. He's a cagey fella. Grabs your attention with some shocking, life threatening domestic ultra-violence, then lulls you into a false sense of security with passages of everyday activities only to blow your mind with one completely insane multiversal time-loop morphing body-snatching doppel-ghost head slam after another until you feel you might be crazy or caught up in the shuddering shadow realm of schizophrenic madness yourself. Yes that. And I loved it.
Nuff said, I think. Oh, except the chapter headings are really cool too. Images instead of titles, each representing one of the character POVS. I liked 'em.
Now nuff said. Thank you, Mr. Carey, for another fascinating thrill ride!
Nuff said, I think. Oh, except the chapter headings are really cool too. Images instead of titles, each representing one of the character POVS. I liked 'em.
Now nuff said. Thank you, Mr. Carey, for another fascinating thrill ride!
October 9, 2020
It's quite difficult to classify this book into a particular genre. There's a bit of psychological thriller element to it, there's a bit of horror and there's also a bit of fantasy realm coming into the story. It can be something similar to what you get reading Stephen King's book but with totally different approach and style. The blurb doesn't actually do justice to the story because it is so much more than just Liz Kendall and her alter self. Till about halfway I kept thinking there's multiple personality disorder in play, but all that flew out the window from the half way mark. More than Liz, it was the character of Fran and her vixen Jinx that kept me glued to the pages.
Fans of thrillers would definitely love the story but I sincerely wish it was at least 100 pages shorter because everything happens at a very sedate pace when all I wanted was the story to travel in express speed.
There are no chapter separation in this book which was a first time experience for me and I liked that images of 'closed loop', 'an open pen knife', and 'an open book' to indicate each of the characters the story flows thru. Impressive!
Fans of thrillers would definitely love the story but I sincerely wish it was at least 100 pages shorter because everything happens at a very sedate pace when all I wanted was the story to travel in express speed.
There are no chapter separation in this book which was a first time experience for me and I liked that images of 'closed loop', 'an open pen knife', and 'an open book' to indicate each of the characters the story flows thru. Impressive!
March 17, 2019
Up until half way through this book, I thought of it as a psychological thriller, with all the strangeness it presents being in the character's imagination. Gradually it becomes obvious that it has a Stephen King style element of paranormal. Would I have preferred a straight-up thriller? Probably, though I did enjoy the tale none the less. Rather slow to get going, and I my mind kept wandering as I read, hence four stars rather than five.
October 29, 2018
I didn’t even read the plot summary for this one, didn’t need to, it sold me just by being Carey’s latest. What can I say…the guy knows how to tell a story. Even if it takes him over 500 pages to do so. Normally I stay away from such behemoths, but this was definitely a worthy exception. Sure, the plot is far fetched and wildly implausible in the way that it’s difficult to explain and probably would be insane to turn into a movie, but this tale of body swiping evil and otherwise doubles spun around Native American beliefs is just so much fun to read. It isn’t a perfect book by any means, it meanders, it takes entirely too long to tell a story, it plays out pretty much as you’d expect and doesn’t surprise you as often as you might like, it’s main protagonist, a single mother with unreliable child support, somehow manages to raise two kids on what sounds like a minimum wage job at the multiplex cinema. Frankly, the latter is probably the most supernatural aspect of the book and this is the book where characters from other worlds bleed into each other. That’s always fun and, because it’s oh so close to October 31st it was lovely that Carey took a supernatural way around that as oppose to, say, quantum physics. Also, great kid characters or at 16 and 17 is it already young adults…either way, not at all annoying, very likeable. Most of the cast, in fact, is very likeable. And the few antagonists are all the way on the opposite end of that spectrum. So when it comes to good and evil battling it out (and it comes more than once and brutally) your loyalties are never in question. I’m not going to summarize the plot, it’s complicated and is probably best left to the professionals, let’s just say that it starts off with a woman who, after continuous abuse and battery by her ex, finally develops a backbone and fights back, only it seems that backbone is actually her evil self from another dimension and she has more in mind than just helping out. And see...don’t you want to read the book now? Doesn’t it sound exciting? It really is, it’s this book’s greatest strength and a great credit to its author, it’s just such an exciting read. I enjoyed it thoroughly, which is a good thing, considering its length. Recommended for all fans of literary speculative fiction. Thanks Netgalley.
November 6, 2018
Ahoy there me mateys! I received this fantasy thriller eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here be me honest musings . . .
I found out about the book from me matey, Paul @ paul'spicks and immediately had to read it. I love this author's work. Now I didn't read the blurb before readin' this one, but I have to admit that it is a bit misleading. It suggests that the main focus of the story is a woman named Liz. Aye, she be one of them. But equally important to the story is a young girl named Fran.
Fran is a young teen with post-traumatic stress disorder due to her kidnapping at the age of six. She survived but every day is a struggle to cope with the aftermath. One of the things that helps her get by is a cartoon fox that only she can see. Her hallucinations have begun to worsen, despite her medication. Fran was the highlight of the novel for me. She is intelligent, funny, lovable, and tenacious.
Liz is the mom of two kids and the survivor of an abusive ex-husband. She works a low-paying job and does her best to raise her children with very little help. Her children are her strength and she is determined to give them the best life she can. Her ex-husband seems equally determined to make her life hell whenever he can. Liz is caring, thoughtful, passive, and a bit stressed out.
The real onset of the action in the novel comes when Liz' s husband violently assaults her. Liz wants to fight back but old habits are hard to break. Submissiveness and inaction are winning when suddenly a part of Liz she was unaware of takes over for survival. But once unleashed, this rage filled personality seems bent on controlling her and dominating her personality with hatred and personality.
Liz and Fran's worlds eventually collide. Part of that arises from the trauma both have suffered. Part of that stems from their relationships with Zac. Zac is a classmate of Fran and Liz's son. He is sweet, thoughtful, conscientious, and a bit sheltered despite his negative relationship with his father. I particularly enjoyed his interactions with Fran. Interestingly, Fran's relationship with her father was awesome. It was fantastic to have such a wonderful father figure in this novel.
The fantasy elements of the novel were fun as well. I don't want to get into them here because of spoilers but the concepts were interesting and the ramifications fun to explore. What happened with the other side of Liz was crazy and fascinating. And rather scary.
The pacing was intense at the beginning and then it went to a more leisurely pace before picking back up again at the end. I have to say that the ending didn't work for me. A little too convenient and unbelievable. But I loved the book and couldn't put it down. And Fran won over me salty heart pretty quickly. So I think that this be another win for M.R. Carey. Arrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank ye Orbit Books!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
I found out about the book from me matey, Paul @ paul'spicks and immediately had to read it. I love this author's work. Now I didn't read the blurb before readin' this one, but I have to admit that it is a bit misleading. It suggests that the main focus of the story is a woman named Liz. Aye, she be one of them. But equally important to the story is a young girl named Fran.
Fran is a young teen with post-traumatic stress disorder due to her kidnapping at the age of six. She survived but every day is a struggle to cope with the aftermath. One of the things that helps her get by is a cartoon fox that only she can see. Her hallucinations have begun to worsen, despite her medication. Fran was the highlight of the novel for me. She is intelligent, funny, lovable, and tenacious.
Liz is the mom of two kids and the survivor of an abusive ex-husband. She works a low-paying job and does her best to raise her children with very little help. Her children are her strength and she is determined to give them the best life she can. Her ex-husband seems equally determined to make her life hell whenever he can. Liz is caring, thoughtful, passive, and a bit stressed out.
The real onset of the action in the novel comes when Liz' s husband violently assaults her. Liz wants to fight back but old habits are hard to break. Submissiveness and inaction are winning when suddenly a part of Liz she was unaware of takes over for survival. But once unleashed, this rage filled personality seems bent on controlling her and dominating her personality with hatred and personality.
Liz and Fran's worlds eventually collide. Part of that arises from the trauma both have suffered. Part of that stems from their relationships with Zac. Zac is a classmate of Fran and Liz's son. He is sweet, thoughtful, conscientious, and a bit sheltered despite his negative relationship with his father. I particularly enjoyed his interactions with Fran. Interestingly, Fran's relationship with her father was awesome. It was fantastic to have such a wonderful father figure in this novel.
The fantasy elements of the novel were fun as well. I don't want to get into them here because of spoilers but the concepts were interesting and the ramifications fun to explore. What happened with the other side of Liz was crazy and fascinating. And rather scary.
The pacing was intense at the beginning and then it went to a more leisurely pace before picking back up again at the end. I have to say that the ending didn't work for me. A little too convenient and unbelievable. But I loved the book and couldn't put it down. And Fran won over me salty heart pretty quickly. So I think that this be another win for M.R. Carey. Arrr!
So lastly . . .
Thank ye Orbit Books!
Check out me other reviews at https://thecaptainsquartersblog.wordp...
Want to read
March 21, 2018oooowwww man, can not wait to wrap my fingers around this book and dive in. I have become addicted to m.r Carey's books and may end up just following around. I wish the story was available NOW!!!
December 12, 2018
As always this review can also be found on my blog The Tattooed Book Geek: https://thetattooedbookgeek.wordpress...
My first foray into the work of Carey came last year thanks to The Boy on the Bridge which I thoroughly enjoyed. After finishing Someone Like Me all I can say is that it is on a whole other level to that book (which was great) and I absolutely loved it.
If you are a fan of Carey’s previous work or just like atmospheric, intelligent and well-crafted books then I’d suggest that you forgo the reviews. Instead, I’d simply tell you to buy the book and dive in blind. Letting yourself be immersed in the imaginative story that Carey has created and expertly woven together.
Liz Kendall feels a presence within, losing her sense of self, finding an inner-strength that she didn’t know she possessed and for the first time ever she retaliates, fighting back against Marc, her ex-husband, who is a real nasty piece of work. Before leaving him, Liz suffered years of abuse at his controlling hands, a human punchbag, she never said no, she never stood up and she took everything that he did to her in the name of protecting her reasons to carry on, her reasons to endure the torment, her reasons to live and those for who she would die, her two children (her daughter, six-year-old Molly and her son, sixteen-year-old Zac) before finally finding the courage to leave.
Liz has questions about her actions, the monster inside that she unleashed and so, looking for answers she goes to see a therapist. Zac drives her and at the clinic they see “Freaky” Fran Watts waiting to see the same therapist.
Fran and Zac go to the same school, in the same year. Fran is at the clinic as she is still dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event from her childhood that has left an indelible scar upon her. At school, Fran and Zac have only a passing acquaintance but after Liz’s visit to the clinic, the pair find some common ground and soon start to develop a friendship. As the lives and stories of Fran and the Kendall family begin to intertwine what you get is a very clever story that transcends any single genre. It really is ingenious, a tricksy beast of a tale that defies any attempt at classification. The narrative is a complex cauldron of components, a miasmic blend, part modern-day Jekyll and Hyde retelling, part horror, part domestic thriller and part psychological thriller with a dash of mystery and an underlying hint of the supernatural to the proceedings.
Carey has populated Someone Like Me with a menagerie of fascinating and fully-fleshed characters who inhabit his story, his world and who all feel real. You’ll care about Fran and Liz rooting for them both along the way but out of the characters I had a real soft spot for Molly. Molly, is a sweet and innocent child, a joy to behold, an absolute pleasure to read about and someone who makes you smile. My favourite character, however, has to be Lady Jinx who is, simply, a sublime creation. I can’t say any more about her otherwise I’d spoil a massive part of the story but trust me, she is fantastic, surreal and completely wonderful.🦊👍
Someone Like Me is something different, something fantastical, something unexpected and something original. It starts out as one thing, changes, then, along the way it changes again, morphing into something else before changing once more. It is beautifully written, it is dark, it is deep, it is emotional, it is raw, a roller-coaster that twists and turns and it is utterly inventive.
My first foray into the work of Carey came last year thanks to The Boy on the Bridge which I thoroughly enjoyed. After finishing Someone Like Me all I can say is that it is on a whole other level to that book (which was great) and I absolutely loved it.
If you are a fan of Carey’s previous work or just like atmospheric, intelligent and well-crafted books then I’d suggest that you forgo the reviews. Instead, I’d simply tell you to buy the book and dive in blind. Letting yourself be immersed in the imaginative story that Carey has created and expertly woven together.
Liz Kendall feels a presence within, losing her sense of self, finding an inner-strength that she didn’t know she possessed and for the first time ever she retaliates, fighting back against Marc, her ex-husband, who is a real nasty piece of work. Before leaving him, Liz suffered years of abuse at his controlling hands, a human punchbag, she never said no, she never stood up and she took everything that he did to her in the name of protecting her reasons to carry on, her reasons to endure the torment, her reasons to live and those for who she would die, her two children (her daughter, six-year-old Molly and her son, sixteen-year-old Zac) before finally finding the courage to leave.
Liz has questions about her actions, the monster inside that she unleashed and so, looking for answers she goes to see a therapist. Zac drives her and at the clinic they see “Freaky” Fran Watts waiting to see the same therapist.
Fran and Zac go to the same school, in the same year. Fran is at the clinic as she is still dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic event from her childhood that has left an indelible scar upon her. At school, Fran and Zac have only a passing acquaintance but after Liz’s visit to the clinic, the pair find some common ground and soon start to develop a friendship. As the lives and stories of Fran and the Kendall family begin to intertwine what you get is a very clever story that transcends any single genre. It really is ingenious, a tricksy beast of a tale that defies any attempt at classification. The narrative is a complex cauldron of components, a miasmic blend, part modern-day Jekyll and Hyde retelling, part horror, part domestic thriller and part psychological thriller with a dash of mystery and an underlying hint of the supernatural to the proceedings.
Carey has populated Someone Like Me with a menagerie of fascinating and fully-fleshed characters who inhabit his story, his world and who all feel real. You’ll care about Fran and Liz rooting for them both along the way but out of the characters I had a real soft spot for Molly. Molly, is a sweet and innocent child, a joy to behold, an absolute pleasure to read about and someone who makes you smile. My favourite character, however, has to be Lady Jinx who is, simply, a sublime creation. I can’t say any more about her otherwise I’d spoil a massive part of the story but trust me, she is fantastic, surreal and completely wonderful.🦊👍
Someone Like Me is something different, something fantastical, something unexpected and something original. It starts out as one thing, changes, then, along the way it changes again, morphing into something else before changing once more. It is beautifully written, it is dark, it is deep, it is emotional, it is raw, a roller-coaster that twists and turns and it is utterly inventive.
October 9, 2019
This was my 2nd attempt to read this book, and I’m glad I chose the audiobook this time from the library.
M.R. Carey tells a story of two families, and the violence within their lives, and how this ties them together. It’s not a fast-moving story; instead, he gives us great character moments with Fran (a childhood victim of a kidnapping and almost murder), Liz (a mother and longtime emotional and physical abuse sufferer because of her now ex-husband) and Zac (Liz’s loyal and caring son and Fran’s schoolmate and eventual friend.)
Carey gradually builds the characters‘ motivations and feelings, giving us a good sense of what's at stake for each of them, so that when things start to go bad (and they do get pretty bad), you feel greatly concerned for Fran and Liz.
There's increasing physical and mental peril for these characters as Liz's other side begins affecting her life.
Fran was, hands down, my favourite character. It was great to see so much time spent within the head of someone suffering from PTSD and experiencing memory loss and hallucinations, to the point that it was sometimes hard for her and the reader to tell what was real and what wasn't. Her determination and humour, and toughness made me love her. Also, I totally loved her interactions with her fox ghost/familiar/protector Lady Jinx (I have to assume that's the spelling as I listened to this book), and Fran's trusting and loving relationship with her father.
And Robin Miles does her usual fantastic job at bringing all the characters to life.
I had initially been a little concerned by the length of this story, and of the less than favourable reviews a few of my GR friends gave this. I'm glad I gave this book a second chance. I really liked spending time with Fran and Lady Jinx.
M.R. Carey tells a story of two families, and the violence within their lives, and how this ties them together. It’s not a fast-moving story; instead, he gives us great character moments with Fran (a childhood victim of a kidnapping and almost murder), Liz (a mother and longtime emotional and physical abuse sufferer because of her now ex-husband) and Zac (Liz’s loyal and caring son and Fran’s schoolmate and eventual friend.)
Carey gradually builds the characters‘ motivations and feelings, giving us a good sense of what's at stake for each of them, so that when things start to go bad (and they do get pretty bad), you feel greatly concerned for Fran and Liz.
There's increasing physical and mental peril for these characters as Liz's other side begins affecting her life.
Fran was, hands down, my favourite character. It was great to see so much time spent within the head of someone suffering from PTSD and experiencing memory loss and hallucinations, to the point that it was sometimes hard for her and the reader to tell what was real and what wasn't. Her determination and humour, and toughness made me love her. Also, I totally loved her interactions with her fox ghost/familiar/protector Lady Jinx (I have to assume that's the spelling as I listened to this book), and Fran's trusting and loving relationship with her father.
And Robin Miles does her usual fantastic job at bringing all the characters to life.
I had initially been a little concerned by the length of this story, and of the less than favourable reviews a few of my GR friends gave this. I'm glad I gave this book a second chance. I really liked spending time with Fran and Lady Jinx.
November 7, 2018
Someone Like Me by M.R. Carey is a psychological thriller/horror/supernatural marvel.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Orbit Books, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Synopsis:
16-year old Fran Watts is the freaky girl at school. Everyone thinks she’s crazy. That’s okay, because she is. She has a right to be. When she was six years old, she was abducted by a crazy man, held in an old motel for 2 days, and almost killed because he thought there was something wrong with her shadow. Fran has never gotten over this ordeal, although there are a lot of blanks in her memory. She has an imaginary friend/fox called Lady J, or Jinx for short. Jinx is always there to protect her, dressed in armour and carrying a shiny sword. Fran has decided it is time to face her demons.
Liz Kendall is trying to raise her two kids on her own. 16-year old Zac and 6 year old Molly are her life. She has divorced her abusive husband, but Marc is still stalking her. When he attacks her in her own kitchen, Liz has had enough. But when she sees her hand breaking a bottle and repeatedly smashing it into her ex-husband’s face, she is scared. It doesn’t feel like her hand doing the damage. It does not feel like her anger. She is not in control. When she later becomes enraged and verbally and physically abuses a women in a parking lot, she is more than frightened. Where is this anger coming from? Why does it feel like there is someone else inside her trying to take control? She needs help.
When Liz and Zac run into Fran at the psychiatrists office, Fran sees two of Liz…and one of them is a monster. That monster is about to come out and take over, putting everyone in danger.
My Opinions:
Another amazing book by M.R. Carey!
As always, Carey created wonderfully deep characters that you can relate to, a wonderful plot that you can immerse yourself in, and enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The writing is good, as is the dialog. I loved the relationship between Liz and her kids, but I loved the one between Fran and her father even more. I loved the strength of both Liz and Fran.
I can’t say enough about this one. It is long, but the time just flies by. Highly recommend it.
For a more complete review of this book and others, please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Orbit Books, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
My Synopsis:
16-year old Fran Watts is the freaky girl at school. Everyone thinks she’s crazy. That’s okay, because she is. She has a right to be. When she was six years old, she was abducted by a crazy man, held in an old motel for 2 days, and almost killed because he thought there was something wrong with her shadow. Fran has never gotten over this ordeal, although there are a lot of blanks in her memory. She has an imaginary friend/fox called Lady J, or Jinx for short. Jinx is always there to protect her, dressed in armour and carrying a shiny sword. Fran has decided it is time to face her demons.
Liz Kendall is trying to raise her two kids on her own. 16-year old Zac and 6 year old Molly are her life. She has divorced her abusive husband, but Marc is still stalking her. When he attacks her in her own kitchen, Liz has had enough. But when she sees her hand breaking a bottle and repeatedly smashing it into her ex-husband’s face, she is scared. It doesn’t feel like her hand doing the damage. It does not feel like her anger. She is not in control. When she later becomes enraged and verbally and physically abuses a women in a parking lot, she is more than frightened. Where is this anger coming from? Why does it feel like there is someone else inside her trying to take control? She needs help.
When Liz and Zac run into Fran at the psychiatrists office, Fran sees two of Liz…and one of them is a monster. That monster is about to come out and take over, putting everyone in danger.
My Opinions:
Another amazing book by M.R. Carey!
As always, Carey created wonderfully deep characters that you can relate to, a wonderful plot that you can immerse yourself in, and enough suspense to keep you on the edge of your seat.
The writing is good, as is the dialog. I loved the relationship between Liz and her kids, but I loved the one between Fran and her father even more. I loved the strength of both Liz and Fran.
I can’t say enough about this one. It is long, but the time just flies by. Highly recommend it.
For a more complete review of this book and others, please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
September 13, 2018
I am a huge fan of MR Carey's novels, I've loved every one of them, but, in my opinion Someone Like Me is the best of them all. It tells a chilling, fascinating story but there are also, alongside the horror, moments of pure tenderness. Loved it. Review to follow shortly on For Winter Nights.
October 4, 2018
If you've read any of M.R. Carey's previous books then I think you know what to expect - if you haven't read any - then prepare to have your mind blown!
This is another difficult book to review without giving away any spoilers so I need to be careful of what I say here. Liz Kendall is a devoted mother of 2 with a violent ex-husband who treated her like a human punchbag throughout their marriage. One night when returning their children he attacks her but she fights back - harder with an inner strength she didn't know she had - except this inner strength also has a name and wants revenge.
The other main character in this story is Fran (Francine) a young teenage girl who was involved in a horrific abduction 10 years ago and still bears the scars mentally. When Fran's path crosses with Liz's eldest son their lives become entwined and connected in ways no-one could see coming.
A very clever and twisty tale which kept me glued to each page - devouring every chapter, rooting for Liz and Fran and loving the entire book.
This is another difficult book to review without giving away any spoilers so I need to be careful of what I say here. Liz Kendall is a devoted mother of 2 with a violent ex-husband who treated her like a human punchbag throughout their marriage. One night when returning their children he attacks her but she fights back - harder with an inner strength she didn't know she had - except this inner strength also has a name and wants revenge.
The other main character in this story is Fran (Francine) a young teenage girl who was involved in a horrific abduction 10 years ago and still bears the scars mentally. When Fran's path crosses with Liz's eldest son their lives become entwined and connected in ways no-one could see coming.
A very clever and twisty tale which kept me glued to each page - devouring every chapter, rooting for Liz and Fran and loving the entire book.
November 6, 2018
*3.5 Stars
What I love about all of M.R. Carey’s books is the tease. The covers, while all distinct, have a certain continuity to them. Even without the author’s name, you know that it is an M.R. Carey novel. There is a mystery to his covers, no hint to the setting, nothing to suggest what the story could be about, other than a nondescript, shadowed character.
Beyond the cover is the synopsis, it vaguely suggests something, without giving anything away. The synopsis to Someone Like Me simply opens the gate, the path that Carey leads his readers down is a complete mystery.
Someone Like Me left me in a bit of a conundrum: the execution of the story was flawless, the characters were whole and complete, the idea was unique, the only thing it lacked was a connection. While I can appreciate all of the excellent work that Carey did in the creation of this story, it’s hard to be head-over-heels for a story when I just didn’t care. Why did that happen? It’s difficult to say. Perhaps it was simply a timing issue, wrong story - wrong time. At the same time, to a certain extent, it’s the author’s job to take his or her readers away, make them forget about the world for the time that they dive into the universe that the author has created. In that respect, Someone Like Me didn’t work, for me.
Someone Like Me may not exactly have been what I wanted or needed right now, all it really lacked was the je ne sais quoi that connects me to the story. Despite that fact, I know that Carey can and has created this connection in the past, and I look forward to more time being whisked away by his vivid imagination.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley).
What I love about all of M.R. Carey’s books is the tease. The covers, while all distinct, have a certain continuity to them. Even without the author’s name, you know that it is an M.R. Carey novel. There is a mystery to his covers, no hint to the setting, nothing to suggest what the story could be about, other than a nondescript, shadowed character.
Beyond the cover is the synopsis, it vaguely suggests something, without giving anything away. The synopsis to Someone Like Me simply opens the gate, the path that Carey leads his readers down is a complete mystery.
Someone Like Me left me in a bit of a conundrum: the execution of the story was flawless, the characters were whole and complete, the idea was unique, the only thing it lacked was a connection. While I can appreciate all of the excellent work that Carey did in the creation of this story, it’s hard to be head-over-heels for a story when I just didn’t care. Why did that happen? It’s difficult to say. Perhaps it was simply a timing issue, wrong story - wrong time. At the same time, to a certain extent, it’s the author’s job to take his or her readers away, make them forget about the world for the time that they dive into the universe that the author has created. In that respect, Someone Like Me didn’t work, for me.
Someone Like Me may not exactly have been what I wanted or needed right now, all it really lacked was the je ne sais quoi that connects me to the story. Despite that fact, I know that Carey can and has created this connection in the past, and I look forward to more time being whisked away by his vivid imagination.
*I received a copy of the book from the publisher (via NetGalley).
November 12, 2018
Wow!! Someone Like Me was my first introduction to M.R. Carey’s work, and I was completely blown away. It starts simply enough, with one of our main characters, Liz, feeling the presence of someone else lurking beneath her skin. The other being emerges during a traumatic assault, and Liz tries to explain it away. But it just won’t go away, and Liz starts to worry that it’s dangerous.
Our other main character, teenage Fran, is just trying to keep her head above the surface. She survived a terrible ordeal when she was a child, and should be better, but instead she’s starting to experience hallucinations. When she meets Liz in a doctor’s waiting room, she knows immediately that something is wrong with the other woman.
There are a lot of sci-fi elements in this book, but it takes place in the very real city of Pittsburgh, in a very real neighborhood. I think the best speculative fiction takes a very unreal situation and draws parallels about the world we’re living in now. Someone Like Me does this in an interesting, thought provoking way.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc.
Our other main character, teenage Fran, is just trying to keep her head above the surface. She survived a terrible ordeal when she was a child, and should be better, but instead she’s starting to experience hallucinations. When she meets Liz in a doctor’s waiting room, she knows immediately that something is wrong with the other woman.
There are a lot of sci-fi elements in this book, but it takes place in the very real city of Pittsburgh, in a very real neighborhood. I think the best speculative fiction takes a very unreal situation and draws parallels about the world we’re living in now. Someone Like Me does this in an interesting, thought provoking way.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc.
May 23, 2024
There's a reason MR Carey is one of my favorite authors, and this book is a great example. Sure, there's a bazillion ghost stories set in contemporary America - but how many have such diverse and sympathetic characters and feature such intricate and dense plots that are easy to read and follow? The truths slowly spill out in this story, every narrator is beautifully flawed and untrustworthy in their own evolving ways.
This book reminds me of the author's Felix Castor series. The characters hang on to hope amidst a sea of despair because they just don't know any better, and keep trying to eek out their piece of happiness against forces they don't understand.
And as a bonus, I was happily surprised at the ending - it did not turn out as I expected. Did our heroes come out better or worse than I assumed? It's worth reading to find out!
Reading Level: adult
Romance: No
Smut: Negligible (nonspecific masturbation and casual sex)
Violence: Yes
TW: domestic abuse, child abuse
This book reminds me of the author's Felix Castor series. The characters hang on to hope amidst a sea of despair because they just don't know any better, and keep trying to eek out their piece of happiness against forces they don't understand.
And as a bonus, I was happily surprised at the ending - it did not turn out as I expected. Did our heroes come out better or worse than I assumed? It's worth reading to find out!
Reading Level: adult
Romance: No
Smut: Negligible (nonspecific masturbation and casual sex)
Violence: Yes
TW: domestic abuse, child abuse
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