Book Review: I REMEMBER YOU by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Title: I Remember You

Author: Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Read: December 2018

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!

Book Description:

In this terrifying tale, three friends set to work renovating a rundown house in a remote, totally isolated location. But they soon realize they are not as alone as they thought. Something wants them to leave. Meanwhile, in a nearby town, a young doctor investigating the suicide of an elderly woman discovers that she was obsessed with his vanished son. When the two stories collide, the shocking truth becomes horribly clear.

In the vein of Stephen King and John Ajvide Lindqvist, this horrifying thriller, partly based on a true story, is the scariest novel yet from Yrsa Sigurdardóttir, who has captivated the attention of readers around the world with her mystery series featuring attorney Thora Gudmundsdottir. Now, Yrsa will stun readers once again with this out-of-this-world ghost story that will leave you shivering.

My musings:

Let me just start this review by warning you that I still have goosebumps whilst sitting here writing this, with all the lights in my house blazing and the knowledge that I will be terrified of venturing out in the dark for some time to come! I Remember You was by far the creepiest book I have read all year, and the choice to listen to this on audio on my commute to and from night shift was both a blessing and a curse: a blessing, because it kept me terrified and awake even after a looong busy shift, and a curse because I was terrified of getting out of my car in the dark!

Let’s start with the setting, which was simply perfect. A creepy old house in a remote spot on the Icelandic coast which can only be reached by boat. No phone reception. No electricity. Not another living soul in sight. Would YOU go there in winter to work on a house you have never even laid eyes on? After reading this book, the answer will be a definite: “No way!” However, our three main characters Garðar, Katrín and Líf (plus their little dog) think it is a great idea to spend a week away from the rat-race of their busy jobs in Reykjavik to restore the cottage they hope will bring them some money as a holiday rental come summer, when the remote village of Hesteyri will be brimming with tourists. Perhaps the first inkling they get of the foolhardiness of their plan is when the skipper of the boat they chartered to get them there warns them of the fate of the house’s previous owner, who disappeared without a trace before he could complete renovations himself. Or perhaps at the very moment he hands them the key to another house in the village, just in case they need a safe shelter. Or was it when he tells them that there is no phone signal, and no electricity, so they will need to keep their phones charged in case they have to call for help from a nearby mountain? Perhaps they should have heeded the warnings, because some of the group may not make it out alive ...

I have only just discovered Yrsa Sigurdardottir this year, and I am already addicted to her writing. Rarely has an author been able to evoke such a perfect setting and an atmosphere of suspense as Sigurdardottir  has created here. Iceland, with its remoteness, its inclement weather and long winter nights really provides the perfect setting for a spooky thriller with some supernatural themes that made this an outstanding creepy read for me.

The story plays out in two separate POV’s: one exploring the fate of the three friends in Hesteyri, the other from the POV of Freyr, a psychologist helping the police with the investigation into the strange suicide of a woman in a local church. A woman who seems to have information regarding the mysterious unsolved disappearance of Freyr’s little son three years earlier. Sigurdardottir  manages to cram a lot into this spooky read, from the mystery surrounding the women’s death, to the case of little Benni’s disappearance, to the fate of the three friends in Heseyri – and more! 

Summary:

I just adored everything about this book, the supernatural element adding just the right amount of goosebumps to a clever, multi-faceted mystery. These type of books are as rare as hen’s teeth, which is why I Remember You is one of my most exciting discoveries of 2018. Very highly recommended to lovers of the genre and all readers looking for a creepy, atmospheric read by a master of suspense.