You Are Not Alone

After a success from Quebec that anesthetized my deductive abilities, I was thirsty for a novel that would stimulate me. That's why I chose You Are Not Alone, written by the female duo Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I was promised a frantic read, full of suspense and puzzles to solve. I was not disappointed.

Summary

Shay has been terribly unlucky. The time she missed her subway by 22 seconds was the time a young woman, Amanda, decided to take her own life. The blank look in Amanda's eyes just before she threw herself onto the tracks has haunted Shay ever since.

Somewhat in spite of herself, she begins to develop an unhealthy interest in this young woman and, in the process, in her group of grieving friends she meets at the funeral. This magnetic group charms Shay and brings her much needed comfort. Especially since fate seems to conspire to bring them together. To the point where Shay begins to wonder who, of her or the group, is more fascinated by the other...

Impressions

I have to say that this book hooked me. The chapters are the perfect length to pull an all-nighter: short enough that you don't get all the information you want, and just long enough to keep you hooked. Each chapter is devoted to a character, and we know that these characters are connected, but we don't yet know how. I found myself musing on this in the middle of the day. There are not too many implausibilities in the plot, I really liked the technological aspect (with Tinder, Google, GPS, hidden cameras and so on) and it is nice to read a book where almost all the characters are women.

But can we talk about the inordinate attention paid to the appearance of the characters when they are female? Shay couldn't leave her apartment without us first witnessing her thought process about her choice of clothing. For a night out at the bar with her friends, should she wear a blouse or a dress? Maybe a blouse, but what color? What cut? With jeans or a skirt? And with what shoes? What jewelry? With a watch of which brand? When she goes out to jog, even if she makes her choice in a hurry (because after all, she's just going to jog and WHO CARES), we know what brand her leggings and shoes are and what color her shirt is. It doesn't add anything to the plot and it's frankly boring. It seems to me that if the main character was a man, we would know almost nothing about what he wears. And it would be perfect like that.

And then, the two sisters who are sort of the leaders of the gang of women are supernaturally beautiful and very conventional. Thin but opulent, they have long shiny hair, wear overpriced clothes and luxurious jewelry and their eyes are shimmering. That's how they charm everyone around them, men and women alike. Read between the lines: if they were ugly, they couldn't do what they do.

I found my reading highly entertaining and would recommend it. But for girl power, better luck next time. The book is of its time, yes, but not that much.