Book Review – If You Knew Her by Emily Elgar

Pages: 402
Published: 1st January 2017
Genre: Mystery/Thriller

This is a book that I came across in the library, and after taking a look at the cover and seeing some very rich praise from one or two of my favourite authors, I decided that it would be worth a read.

Emily Elgar’s debut novel contains some wonderfully interesting concepts that I have never come across before. The idea of telling part of the story from the perspective of a silent coma patient is inspirational, and it is executed beautifully.

Once the book really gets going, the mystery unfolds in a sophisticated way, and you really do get to know each of the three main characters, who are very well developed, and I was gradually able to empathise with all of them.

However, it was not a perfect read for me. It is extremely slow paced to begin with, and I was actually losing a little interest until more started to happen. It definitely gets better – if you are more a fan of slow-burning thrillers, then I would recommend it!

I had some issues with the writing style, which I found not to be very engaging at times, and the fact that Cassie’s story was a little cliched. Otherwise, it is a very decent read, and the ending, though tragic, makes it worthwhile.

Cassie had it all – the fairytale wedding, the stunning home, the perfect husband. But when she arrives on the intensive care ward at St Catherine’s hospital in a coma, it soon becomes clear that she has a secret; a secret that changes everything.

Alice, the chief nurse on the ward begins to feel a connection with Cassie and can’t help but wonder if things are not quite as they seem.

Frank, another patient, can hear and see everything around him but cannot communicate. He understands that Cassie’s life is in danger and only he holds the truth, which no one can know and he cannot tell . . .

Like so many of us who love books, the biggest step for Emily Elgar to overcome was to actually fulfil the dream of actually writing one. A former support worker, she first began on If You Knew Her in 2012 after enrolling on a writing course.

She grew up mainly in the West of England, but has also lived in London, New York, and South Africa. Currently residing in East Sussex with her husband and cat, her next book, And Grace is Gone, is due to be released in 2019.

If You Knew Her takes a very long time to get going, maybe too long. But once it does, it is a thought-provoking read with some brilliant ideas and well drawn characters that Elgar allows you to get to know.

Overall, there are a lot of positive things about this book, and I am sure many of you will really like it if you gave it a go. But there were some parts of it where I found it difficult to be fully engaged, so I shall award it three stars.