I Let You Go | Clare Mackintosh | Book Review

Ok this was something else. I loved every bit of it! I was kinda complaining up until the first half of the book, because the pace was too damn slow and nothing major relating to the central incident was happening but then – boom! There was one twist then another then another and I was pretty much dead by the end of the book.

A little about the plot – Five-year-old Jacob Jordan is hit by a car in an otherwise quiet street, just in front of his house. Jenna Gray, unable to recover from the loss she suffered, moves to a secluded cottage in Wales to distance herself from her traumatic past. A team of detectives in Bristol investigate the crime, jump from one disappointing lead to another before getting orders to close the case for want of evidence. But the past isn’t buried just yet and Jacob’s death bring forth a series of lives colliding, stories merging and a chain of dark secrets.

The story is told from multiple POVs, and you get to know the story from the perspective of Jenna as well as Ray, the DI investigating the case (among others!). The amount of detail in which the police station scenes were written is evidence enough that writer Clare Mackintosh is an ex-police officer herself. One of the many things I loved about the book was that the cops weren’t portrayed as some kind of superheroes, whose aim is nothing short of establishing justice and nothing in the world would stop them from doing that. Instead, the reality of working in the force was portrayed beautifully. The hindrances encountered within the system, the pressure of securing chances of promotion, the shutting down of cases even if you think justice hasn’t been served are all part and parcel of the profession and have been portrayed brilliantly.

Once the story picks pace halfway, there is no going back. One big reveal after another unfolds. The suspense is maintained throughout, thanks to the incredible writing style in addition to the atmospheric setting. The sea and the weather outside almost act as objective corelative to Jenna’s innermost feelings. You become emotionally attached to Jenna. You can’t help but feel what she feels. The emotions behind the characters feel very raw and real. The book is full of trigger warnings relating to detailed graphic description of physical and emotional abuse and violence (kinda wished I knew that earlier because trigger warnings are no joke). I loved the ending because it was left somewhat ambiguous and open to interpretations. I read Clare’s interpretation of the same and its really interesting. You can check it out in case you have read the book.

All in all, I Let You Go is going on my top-notch thrillers list!

My rating – 5/5

Happy Reading!😇

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