Basic plot
Cassie Rivers awakes in the cemetery but that is the least of her problems. She has no idea who she is. Rescued by a kind stranger, who happens to work for the LAPD, she is soon reunited with her husband. She immediately recognizes him, but then, how could she not? When her husband happens to be America's favourite and most famous actor Alex Rivers. Cassie finds out that the life she has forgotten seems to be the stuff of fairy-tales, full of glitz and glamour, wealth and the adoration of the most desired man in the country. However, as her memories begin to resurface, she figures out that all fairy-tales have a villain. The problem is figuring out who.
What I liked about this book
True to Jodi Picoult's style this book was told both in the present and a series of flashbacks as Cassie slowly regains her memory. Usuallly, I find this style of writing very tedious (like Songs of Humpback Whale) but in this book it did not interfere with the flow of the story. Jodi Picoult managed to take a sensitive family issue and explore it well, potraying both victim and victimizer well. We learn that every monster was created by another monster, and violence is as much a powerful addiction as alcohol or drugs.
What I disliked about this book
The role played by the LAPD police officer as Cassie's "saviour" was not, in my opinion, best suited to this scenario. He was potrayed as a man conflicted with his native American ancestry and the book took great lengths to describe their legends and traditions but somehow it all seemed unnecessary and flat. For me, he could have been anyone, and I found the history lessons somewhat redundant.
A quote I liked from this book
If you were quiet and blended into the background, you were less likely to make waves.
Rating: 3/5
