The Puzzle of You by Leah Mercer

The Puzzle of You

by Leah Mercer

She’s woken up in a life she doesn’t recognize—with a daughter she doesn’t remember.

When Charlotte McKay wakes up in a hospital bed with no memory of how she got there, all she wants is to go back to the perfect London flat she shares with her husband, and the impressive career she’s worked so hard to build. But something’s not right. Her husband David is at her bedside—but so is a three-year-old girl, and she’s calling Charlotte ‘Mummy’…

Charlotte’s first instinct is panic. When—why—did she have a child? What about her promotion, her independence, her romantic weekends with David? She loved being that woman: how can she have turned into the stay-at-home mother she swore she’d never be?

Back at home, she dives into her unfamiliar world, hoping to piece together the mystery of her transformation. But faced with so much that feels foreign and unnatural, will she ever be happy in a life she can’t remember having—or wanting to have?

Reviewed by Jeff Sexton on

5 of 5 stars

Share
Jack Campbell Loves Big Brother. This is a solidly written and told story that is quite a bit infuriating, but I try to be "professional" enough in my reviews to not drop stars because I disagree with the story of a fiction book. And most of the infuriating aspects of the tale are spoilers to discuss anyway and may not (likely won't) be as infuriating to most people to boot. But Mercer does an excellent job of telling her tale, and therefore there is nothing to actually ding here other than the fact that it simply pissed me off. (And if you catch the dual references in the title, that gives you a clue into why I am so pissed off with it - but as I said, actually referencing what makes me so mad is to go into spoiler territory.) So yes, the book is very much recommended in and of itself, even though I personally wanted to throw my damn kindle down in disgust.

Last modified on

Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • Finished reading
  • 27 October, 2019: Reviewed
  • Started reading
  • Finished reading
  • 27 October, 2019: Reviewed