A review by ispeakbooknerd
I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad
4.0
The book description piqued my interest with I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad. Blackstone Publishing and Net Galley were kind enough to provide me with a copy to read and share my thoughts on.
The first eight years of Wayland Maynard's life are so dull they were wonderful, until the mid 1970s, when just eight years old, he witnesses his father kill himself and finds a note that reads "I am not who you think I am." Fast forward eight years, and Wayland has questions. With the help of his crush and his only friend, he begins to investigate and try to discover the truth.
This book is a matryoshka doll of mysteries and revelations. With each little tidbit of information gained, more mysteries reveal themselves. In the same way these mysteries are being revealed, we are witnessing the (understandable) mental deterioration of Wayland and his relationships as he obsesses over the note left by his father. When we finally reach the truth, although both expected and unexpected, it's actually a very simple, albeit unsavory truth. The poor baby matryoshka doll wasn't painted as prettily as those who held her.
With atmospheric writing, Eric Rickstad completely immerses the reader into this small New England town during 1984. The characters we encounter, including Wayland, are tangible human beings (and one dog), with characteristics both good and bad, and complex reasons for their actions. This is particularly admirable in a mystery, when often times the more minor characters are not given such depth. The pace begins slow as the scenery is set up, but then it picks up, until it's a feverish pitch in an attempt to get to that final truth. Everything a mystery should be, really. Rickstad is tricky, too. There are little hint nuggets tossed the readers' way. Perhaps some of you will note them sooner than did and figure it out before the book ends. I'm happy not having realized they were hints until after I finished, however, as I can now sit here and smile as I think, "Oh, and this/that little detail. I get it now." Tricky, tricky, but I love it. Every last bit of it.
The first eight years of Wayland Maynard's life are so dull they were wonderful, until the mid 1970s, when just eight years old, he witnesses his father kill himself and finds a note that reads "I am not who you think I am." Fast forward eight years, and Wayland has questions. With the help of his crush and his only friend, he begins to investigate and try to discover the truth.
This book is a matryoshka doll of mysteries and revelations. With each little tidbit of information gained, more mysteries reveal themselves. In the same way these mysteries are being revealed, we are witnessing the (understandable) mental deterioration of Wayland and his relationships as he obsesses over the note left by his father. When we finally reach the truth, although both expected and unexpected, it's actually a very simple, albeit unsavory truth. The poor baby matryoshka doll wasn't painted as prettily as those who held her.
With atmospheric writing, Eric Rickstad completely immerses the reader into this small New England town during 1984. The characters we encounter, including Wayland, are tangible human beings (and one dog), with characteristics both good and bad, and complex reasons for their actions. This is particularly admirable in a mystery, when often times the more minor characters are not given such depth. The pace begins slow as the scenery is set up, but then it picks up, until it's a feverish pitch in an attempt to get to that final truth. Everything a mystery should be, really. Rickstad is tricky, too. There are little hint nuggets tossed the readers' way. Perhaps some of you will note them sooner than did and figure it out before the book ends. I'm happy not having realized they were hints until after I finished, however, as I can now sit here and smile as I think, "Oh, and this/that little detail. I get it now." Tricky, tricky, but I love it. Every last bit of it.