BOOK REVIEW: And Then You Were Gone by R. J. Jacobs @RJJacobsAuthor @crookedlanebks #andthenyouweregone

A fast-paced thriller that will have your head spinning as you try to figure out what is going on!! R. J. Jacobs’ And Then You Were Gone is a unique thriller that features a leading character who has been successfully managing her bipolar disorder for years—a fact that is called into question when her boyfriend disappears. This was truly an unputdownable one for me! Fantastic writing, engaging mystery, and a relatable lead character all make this a standout debut novel. I couldn’t wait to read more and find out what happened to Paolo??

About the Book

For fans of B. A. Paris and Alice Feeney comes a propulsive, twisting psychological thriller that asks, How can you save someone else if you can’t save yourself? 

After years of learning how to manage her bipolar disorder, Emily Firestone finally has it under control. Even better, her life is coming together: she’s got a great job, her own place, and a boyfriend, Paolo, who adores her. So when Paolo suggests a weekend sailing trip, Emily agrees—wine, water, and the man she loves? What could be better? But when Emily wakes the morning after they set sail, the boat is still adrift…and Paolo is gone.

A strong swimmer, there’s no way Paolo drowned, but Emily is at a loss for any other explanation. Where else could he have gone? And why? As the hours and days pass by, each moment marking Paolo’s disappearance, Emily’s hard-won stability begins to slip.

But when Emily uncovers evidence suggesting Paolo was murdered, the investigation throws her mania into overdrive, even as she becomes a person of interest in her own personal tragedy. To clear her name, Emily must find the truth—but can she hold onto her own sanity in the process?

Reflection

I’m always fascinated by missing person mysteries more than any other type, because there are such a huge range of outcomes! Are they alive? Ran away? Kidnapped? Hiding? Lost? The puzzle keeps me guessing. In And Then You Were Gone, Emily and her boyfriend Paolo are out on a boat together when Emily wakes up to discover Paolo is gone. Emily is adrift on the boat, afraid, and alone. And there is no clear sign on foul play! Though Emily is afraid of the water, Paolo certainly is not. He’s a strong swimmer and the chances he drowned are slim.

The set up for this really engaged me! I couldn’t figure out what I thought happened, because there just weren’t a lot of clues. In the weeks after his disappearance, Emily spirals. As everyone moves on and mourns his almost certain death, Emily can’t accept it. If he died, why can’t they find a body?

There is the added layer of Emily’s mental health that was executed so well. I’ve actually had the opportunity to chat a bit with the author, and I know he is a psychologist himself (as am I, though I am not a clinical practitioner). It really shows in this book—he describes Emily’s bipolar disorder, treatment, and her fear that her careful balance she has worked to maintain may slip. I was talking to another blogger I’m friends with who has also been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder and that she has been managing for years, and she indicated that this book felt so authentic to her experience.

The thing about people who suffer from mental health disorders is that others often assume that they are unstable. But when a mental health issue is being treated effectively, those issues are minimized completely. But that stigma that surrounds it never goes away. In the book, we see the police question Emily when they discover her medication on the boat. Did she drug Paolo? Were they taking recreational drugs? It was such an interesting and unfortunately accurate story. One that happens all of the time.

And the mystery itself? Lightening-paced and fascinating! As you begin to learn more about what may have been the context of Paolo’s disappearance (and I won’t say what that is because it is so fun to learn about in the book), you will have a hard time putting this one down! Truly—one of the most engaging psychological thrillers I’ve read this year!