#CJSReads REVIEW: What My Body Remembers by Agnete Friis
What My Body Remembers by Agnete FriisSoHo Crime
Publishing TODAY! 5/2/17
A true Nordic Noir novel, we give this book 4 stars across the board - atmospherically beautiful, we all recommend you pick up a copy today! Continue below to see what we thought of this gorgeous novel.
From "New York Times" bestselling author Agnete Friis comes the chilling story of a young mother who will do whatever it takes to protect her son.
Ella Nygaard, 27, has been a ward of the state since she was seven years old, the night her father murdered her mother. She doesn t remember anything about that night or her childhood before it but her body remembers. The PTSD-induced panic attacks she now suffers incapacitate her for hours sometimes days at a time and leave her physically and psychically drained.
After one particularly bad episode lands Ella in a psych ward, she discovers her son, Alex, has been taken from her by the state and placed with a foster family. Driven by desperation, Ella kidnaps Alex and flees to the seaside town in northern Denmark where she was born. Her grandmother s abandoned house is in grave disrepair, but she can live there for free until she can figure out how to convince social services that despite everything, she is the best parent for her child.
But being back in the small town forces Ella to confront the demons of her childhood the monsters her memory has tried so hard to obscure. What really happened that night her mother died? Was her grandmother right was Ella s father unjustly convicted? What other secrets were her parents hiding from each other? If Ella can start to remember, maybe her scars will begin to heal or maybe the truth will put her in even greater danger."
Jessica's Thoughts:
4 / 5 Stars
4 / 5 Stars
The night her father kills her mother, Ella is only seven years old and becomes part of the system. She acts out and becomes unexpectedly pregnant at a young age. Her post traumatic amnesia leads to severe panic attacks, leaving her in question with the state regarding her ability to take care of not only herself, but her son as well. When it becomes apparent that the state wants to take her son away, she takes matters into her own hands and runs away with him. Heading back to her grandmother's abandoned house, she's forced to confront the past she can't remember.This book is shown mostly through Ella's eyes with flashbacks through her parents (father, Helgi and mother, Anna) leading up to Anna's death. The author builds the story in an atmospherically beautiful and poignant way. We see the human struggle in all three characters - the marriage that falls apart, psychological damages that incur, a child's memory confused by her own immature mind. An absolutely gorgeous read. I guessed correctly at the ending and what was coming as it was happening, but it didn't take away from me loving the book any less. If you're looking for something fast paced and a twist that punches you in the face, this probably isn't quite the read you're looking for. However, if you're looking for a beautiful, atmospheric thriller that hits your emotional center, this is it. While the ending is not surprising, the author builds the entire story in a way that leaves you satisfied. Be warned that this story is bleak with an extremely flawed and unlikeable lead character. In fact, none of the characters are likeable - but they are real and raw and that's something I can absolutely appreciate in a well written book.
Sam's Thoughts:
4 / 5 Stars
Ella, a woman with a tainted past, will stop at nothing to protect her son. Struggling to remember incidents of her childhood that leave her with paralyzing panic attacks, her son is taken from her and put into a foster home. After Ella kidnaps him and flees to the small town where she was born, deeply buried family secrets force, Ella, to confront her past and finally uncover what her body has been trying to tell her all this time. What happened the night her mother was murdered? Was her father wrongfully convicted?
What My Body Remembers, a new slow burning suspense by Agnete Friis combines a tightly woven plot and unreliable characters to create a story that will both unnerve and compel its readers. Finally, a Nordic Noir that I can fully become consumed it! I often struggle with some of the Nordic crime stories I try to read as they usually follow a police procedural style narrative; however, What My Body Remembers breaks this mould!
Characters are central to pushing the plot of the story and Friis doesn’t hold back in her development of them. Each character, more complex and unreliable than the last, blend effortlessly into a tense narrative that I read easily in one sitting. Told through multiple perspectives (including Ella’s father, and mother), the majority of the story is told through the eyes of Ella. I really loved this narrative choice. I felt for Ella as she struggled to try and understand what she doesn’t remember about her past and grapples with her role as a mother. I loved her backstory as well; she was by no means a likeable character, but she was a raw and relatable character which I appreciated!
Like a true Nordic novel, this one relied on building atmospheric tension instead of surprising story arcs. Although I didn’t find myself particularly shocked at any of the plot twists in this one, it was so well written, I didn’t mind. Friis had an uncanny ability with her prose to suck me in and make me lose track of time.
Overall, I would absolutely read another story by this author and would recommend this read to anyone who likes something slower paced and poignant.
I gave this one 4/5 stars.
My Thoughts:
4 / 5 Stars
The night her father kills her mother, Ella is only seven years old and becomes part of the system. She acts out and becomes unexpectedly pregnant at a young age. Her post traumatic amnesia leads to severe panic attacks, leaving her in question with the state regarding her ability to take care of not only herself, but her son as well. When it becomes apparent that the state wants to take her son away, she takes matters into her own hands and runs away with him. Heading back to her grandmother's abandoned house, she's forced to confront the past she can't remember.This book is shown mostly through Ella's eyes with flashbacks through her parents (father, Helgi and mother, Anna) leading up to Anna's death. The author builds the story in an atmospherically beautiful and poignant way. We see the human struggle in all three characters - the marriage that falls apart, psychological damages that incur, a child's memory confused by her own immature mind. An absolutely gorgeous read. I guessed correctly at the ending and what was coming as it was happening, but it didn't take away from me loving the book any less. If you're looking for something fast paced and a twist that punches you in the face, this probably isn't quite the read you're looking for. However, if you're looking for a beautiful, atmospheric thriller that hits your emotional center, this is it. While the ending is not surprising, the author builds the entire story in a way that leaves you satisfied. Be warned that this story is bleak with an extremely flawed and unlikeable lead character. In fact, none of the characters are likeable - but they are real and raw and that's something I can absolutely appreciate in a well written book.
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