[Review] I Let You Go - Clare Mackintosh

Summary: On a rainy afternoon, a mother's life is shattered as her son slips from her grip and runs into the street . . .

I Let You Go follows Jenna Gray as she moves to a ramshackle cottage on the remote Welsh coast, trying to escape the memory of the car accident that plays again and again in her mind and desperate to heal from the loss of her child and the rest of her painful past. 

At the same time, the novel tracks the pair of Bristol police investigators trying to get to the bottom of this hit-and-run. As they chase down one hopeless lead after another, they find themselves as drawn to each other as they are to the frustrating, twist-filled case before them. (Pub Date: May 3, 2016)


Review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley.

This drama/thriller tells two stories. While Jenna runs from Bristol to cope with the night Jacob passed away, investigator Ray does his best to discover the identity of the hit-and-run driver who took the little boys life right in front of his mother's eyes.

This wasn't as enjoyable as the many reviews led me to believe. After finally being able to finish, something, at times, I doubted I would ever, I can say this was a nice book. However well written, this wasn't a page-turner.

Most of the book is narrated with chapters in first person from Jenna's point of view in the middle of chapters in third person from Ray's. I found the latter ones to be entertaining, as we held our breaths for the police to solve the crime before it went cold, while Jenna's search for a new life too slow-paced, if not a bore.

Character-wise, I can't point out any faults. I wouldn't say I have a favorite but I found them well built. Well, my problem with Jenna's parts did cause me to find her a bit uninteresting, and that I suspect not to be a character-building problem. Moreover, I did enjoy her growth, her journey until the conclusion. Also Ray showed some chance through the development and I appreciated his decision around the end. Perhaps this is because the character I mostly sympathized with was Mags.

Now talking specifically about the conclusion, it was half what I was expecting, but overall good. Surely one detail of the explanations was somewhat exaggerated, and you will surely identify what I mean once you get there. Additionally, it left me with the feeling the mystery could have been solved if the police had payed more attention to procedure—but the author does have more experience in that field than me, so I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. In sum, I do think it was satisfying.

My problem really was in the first half, and the solution wasn't a big revelation to compensate the effort—although there was some. Thus, I recommend the book for those who either have more patience reading or for those who want a more introspective, emotional type of mystery book. I confess I cried near the ending, even after all the criticizing I exposed above.

Rate: 3 out of 5.