I Let You Go- Book Review

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh had a twist that came as such a surprise that I actually put down the book and walked away from it for a few hours. It was that good! I am usually good at guessing twists, but this one had me just flabbergasted.

This is not to say that I Let You Go is a great book, but it is definitely a good book. I had to keep telling my friends who asked me about whether or not this book was good that it begins with the death of a 5 year old boy and to keep that in mind while reading the rest of the book. It BEGINS WITH A HIT AND RUN OF A 5 YEAR OLD BOY! I cannot stress that enough.

The story is told in alternating chapters with one narrative telling the story of Jenna Grey who cannot sleep due to the accident constantly running through her head, so she leaves her home to escape the memories.

The other story is about the police who are looking for the murderer of this child and the home life of one of the officers. Time passes quickly and the hope of finding the driver passes away just as quickly. 

These two narratives are in Part 1 of this book, which just simply crawls. The beginning of this book is very slow moving, but by the time I finished the book, I found it was more methodical than anything. Like a great chess player, all the pieces have to be in the right places before the onslaught begins.

Part II is the onslaught. As stated there was such a twist that I was not prepared for the rest of the book. Part II takes an incredibly dark turn so much so that I did not want to read parts of Part II. By even mentioning some things that happened would be a spoiler, so I will go back to my original warning- the book begins with a hit and run of a 5 year old boy.

I Let You Go is very Rashomon-eque in that you will be dying to know the truth about everything and just when you think you know it, another perspective changes things. This book messes with your head and your version of truth. The more the story unfolds, the more one starts to question one's own feelings about everything. There were parts that I wanted my mother nearby to just let me know that everything is going to be alright.

The book is a great, but very dark read. As stated earlier, the whole first part can be a slog to get through and I often found myself wanting the book to end in Part I. I couldn't put Part II down, but did because of some of the scenes in Part II. I wanted the book to end while reading the second part because I just couldn't take it anymore. It was effective and I couldn't wait to give it to someone else because I didn't want it in my house anymore. I gave this book a solid 4 stars.

This was a Book of The Month Club Pick and I am so glad I chose it. I am 5 for 5 with picks! If you would like to be part of Book of the Month Club, just click the link provided and use the code "Summer50" to get 1/2 off 3 months!