Publication: 9th January 2020 – Simon & Schuster UK
When a man is found on a Norfolk beach, drifting in and out of consciousness, with no identification and unable to speak, interest in him is sparked immediately. From the hospital staff who find themselves inexplicably drawn to him; to international medical experts who are baffled by him; to the nationalpress who call him Mr Nobody; everyone wants answers. Who is this man? And what happened to him?
Neuropsychiatrist Dr Emma Lewis is asked to assess the patient. This is her field of expertise, this is the chance she’s been waiting for and this case could make her name known across the world. But therein lies the danger. Emma left this same small town in Norfolk fourteen years ago and has taken great pains to cover all traces of her past since then.
But now something – or someone – is calling her back. And the more time she spends with her patient, the more alarmed she becomes.
Has she walked into danger?
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Although I still haven’t read Catherine Steadman’s debut, Something In The Water, I have been hearing so many great things about it that I leaped to the chance to read the author’s second novel and now I know why everyone is raving about this author.
The story follows two characters. The first is a man in his forties, found on a beach in Norfolk. He doesn’t have any belongings or ID. No one recognizes him and no one knows his name. He doesn’t even talk. Soon, the press is on the story and Mr. Nobody, as he’s been nicknamed, is a national interest. Enter Dr. Emma Lewis. She is a neuropsychiatrist, she studies human brain, and Mr. Nobody’s case seems to be one of a kind, so when she’s asked to be Mr. Nobody’s doctor she accepts even if this means going back to the place she left fifteen years ago. When she was a teenager, Emma changed her name and her identity and left Norfolk behind. Why did she leave? And why does Mr. Nobody seem to know exactly who she is?
I devoured Mr. Nobody. The pace is slow and the atmosphere is a bit claustrophobic, and the plot is gripping. I also enjoyed the part of the narrative focuses on how the human brain works. A person could go to sleep and wake up having forgotten the last forty years of their life. It’s both fascinating and scary and I found it all very interesting and informative.
The characters are very well-built. Throughout the story, Mr. Nobody remains a mystery that I couldn’t wait to unravel. We see him through the eyes of the nurses and the doctors. Until everything is revealed, I couldn’t figure out his role in the story. Is he good or is he bad? The truth was completely surprising and well-thought. Emma’s story is told in first person, but, of course, that doesn’t mean that everything is revealed right away. We know she is anxious about going back to Norfolk and she is afraid someone might find out the truth about her. But why? The author knows how to keep the tension high by slowly revealing her story, which wasn’t at all what I expected.
I liked the concept of the story, I found it original and intriguing and I love the cover. I LOVED the author’s writing style: detailed, clear, and captivating. Now, I really need to pick up Something In The Water and I am really looking forward to reading whatever she is writing next, but Mr. Nobody is definitely a must-read and it’s out in January.
A huge thank you to Jess and Simon & Schuster for providing me with a proof copy of the novel.
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