A Book A Week

"We are ping-pong balls, paddled about by fate and coincidence, doing our best to wrestle back some agency from the forces that move our lives."

Elli was always hesitant about going into acting. Why shouldn't she be? She was only a child after all. She was shy and reserved, the kind of kid more content with quietly playing than drawing attention to herself. Why then, you may ask yourself, did Elli become a child actress? The answer is quite simple really. Her identical twin sister Sam wanted her to. The sisters were inseparable. They had that innate connection that twins often do, each able to sense the other's thoughts and desires without having to say a word. Sam was much more outgoing, and she was willing to bring her sister along for the ride. Naturally, the impulses of the stronger-willed sister won out, setting the siblings on a course that would alter the rest of their lives. 

As adults, the inseparable bond of the twin sisters has splintered into estrangement. Elli retired from acting, got married, and created the perfect suburban life as the owner of the flower shop. Sam went in the opposite direction. Like countless child stars before her, she fell into addiction. She clings to the hope of reclaiming her former fame, but the reality is far more depressing. There isn't a likelihood of her ever earning a living as an actress again. On her plummet to rock bottom, Sam made the worst mistake of her life, a moment of weakness and desperation that ultimately severed the last remaining threads of her relationship with Elli. 

It comes as a surprise when Sam receives a call from her father asking for her help. Divorce and the recent adoption of a two-year-old girl have left Elli's life in shambles, a stark contrast to the picture-perfect image Sam long held in her head. Elli left the new daughter in the hands of her parents as she embarked on a mysterious self-help retreat for the weekend. Only she never came back, and she isn't answering her phone. Sam's parents have recruited her as a last resort to come help care for the child. They're certain that Elli will come home in due time, but Sam isn't as sure. Her deep connection to her twin sister tells her that something may be terribly wrong. 

I first encountered the writing of Janelle Brown through her novel Watch Me Disappear. That novel veiled a poignant character study with an engrossing missing person mystery. This latest effort does much of the same but in a very different way. We see the perspectives of two sisters both in the past and present. Brown uses the shifting point of view to slowly reveal elements of her mystery and the motivations of the characters. While the mystery behind the missing sister helps the novel to maintain a swift pace, it is the relationship and deceit between the two twin sisters that fuels much of the suspense and tension. Brown's characters are so authentic that I couldn't help but fall under their spell. The genuineness of the characters helps balance some of the more implausible plot elements, grounding even the most unimaginable story beats into the real world. Overall, I'll Be You is a good thriller written in service of a great character drama. It proves Janelle Brown's narrative prowess and serves as a fantastic summer read. 

For more information visit the author's website, Amazon, and Goodreads. 

(2022, 22)