Someone Like Me

by M. R. Carey

Overview

A naïve divorced mother of two faces the darkest parts of herself in this heart-stopping thriller from the author of USA Today bestseller, The Girl With All the Gifts.

Liz Kendall wouldn't hurt a fly. Even when times get tough, she's devoted to bringing up her two kids in a loving home.

But there's another side to Liz — one that's dark and malicious. She will do anything to get her way, no matter how extreme.

And when this other side of her takes control, the consequences are devastating.

Love her or hate her: there are two sides to every story. . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316477420
Publisher:	Orbit
Publication date:	11/06/2018
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.70(d)

About the Author

M. R. Carey has been making up stories for most of his life. His novel The Girl With All the Gifts was a USA Today bestseller and is a major motion picture based on his BAFTA-nominated screenplay. Under the name Mike Carey he has written for both DC and Marvel, including critically acclaimed runs on X-Men and Fantastic Four, Marvel's flagship superhero titles. His creator-owned books regularly appear in the New York Times bestseller list. He also has several previous novels, two radio plays, and a number of TV and movie screenplays to his credit.

Editorial Reviews

Suddenly, sharply, so deftly you hardly notice, Carey steers the novel straight into horror territory. One moment you're ready to attribute Liz's angry episodes to the trauma she's suffered, and the next you realize there's something far more malicious fueling her anger…A first-rate, superbly paced paranormal thriller.

The New York Times Book Review - Tina Jordan

★ 11/05/2018
A single mother battles the seduction of her dark side in this gripping and easily devoured novel from Carey (The Boy on the Bridge). Liz Kendall’s ex-husband, Marc, is a violent abuser, and gentle Liz is forced to physically retaliate against him in order to protect herself and her two children, six-year-old Molly and 16-year-old Zac. Following that incident, a newfound rage boils over each time she is under pressure, and this side of her gradually develops into a vicious second personality called Beth. While seeking help from a doctor, her family meets Fran Watts, a kidnapping victim who’s grappling with hallucinations and memory loss. Fran, sick of feeling debilitated, befriends Zac and enlists him to help her research her kidnapper and restore her shaky memory. Fran’s own coping mechanism arrives in the form of an imaginary friend who directly opposes Fran’s confrontation of her painful past. When Marc threatens Liz again, Beth expels Liz and takes control, with devastating consequences. Both Liz and Fran must find a way to bridge the fissures of their minds before Beth causes irreparable damage. Carey’s mastery of tension and diversity of voice will keep readers engaged until the well-earned ending, and his handling of mental illness is nuanced without romanticizing or sensationalizing trauma. This intense thriller shows human nature in all its grimness and glory. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Winter 2018

The author of The Girl with all the Gifts is back with a mind-blowing psychological thriller. Liz, a recently divorced mother of two, snaps when her ex-husband brings her kids back late one weekend. He assaults her, and this time, finally, she fights back. But it isn't Liz who bloodies him—it's Beth, Liz's other self. At Liz's psychiatrist's office, her teenage son Zac befriends a classmate he sees across the waiting room, Fran. Still in therapy from a kidnapping that happened years ago, Fran is the only person who can see Liz and Beth at the same time, and she is terrified. This is a horror tale of two characters who have dual selves in order to survive trauma. Liz and Fran's experiences are similar and eerily connected through the same location—the run-down Perry Friendly hotel in Pittsburgh. The two teens try to find out why Liz isn't acting like herself, and barely make it out alive. Like the author's previous novel, this thriller is teen-friendly. Fran and Zac investigate on their own, travel to courthouses and prisons, and don't put much trust in adults. Adult characters are well developed. Liz's other personality, Beth, acts like the mom no teenager would ever want to have, while Fran's father is ideal. The author incorporates the Abenaki Indian legend of a skadegamutc, a ghost-witch, into the paranormal elements. VERDICT Highly recommended for all horror and psychological thriller collections.—Sarah Hill, Lake Land College, Mattoon, IL

School Library Journal

2018-10-15

After fending off a brutal attack by her ex-husband, a woman fears for her sanity. The truth is something far more terrifying.

Liz Kendall is no stranger to her ex-husband's flying fists, but after one of Marc's weekends with the kids, she dares to speak up about him getting them home late. She had, evidently, "lost the habit of victimhood somewhere." All hell breaks loose, and Liz finds herself on the floor with Marc's hands around her neck. She feels outside of herself when she reaches for a vinegar bottle on the floor, breaks it, then grinds it into Marc's face. Liz is horrified at her actions and at the feeling she had of being controlled by someone, or something, else. "She hadn't willed this; she had only watched it, her nervous system dragged along in the wake of decisions made (instantly, enthusiastically) elsewhere." Sixteen-year-old Zac is protective of his mom and his 6-year-old sister, Molly, and is ready to be free of his dad and his volatile temper, and the aftermath of the attack promises that freedom. Soon after, Zac befriends Fran Watts, who was abducted at age 6 and, since her rescue, has suffered hallucinations, particularly one of a protector in the form of an anthropomorphic fox named Jinx, aka Lady Jinx, who carries a magical sword called the Oathkeeper. Determined to get to the bottom of her trauma, she seeks answers from her abductor, Bruno Picota, dubbed the Shadowman, who is incarcerated in a psychiatric institution, and is shocked at what she learns. She's even more shocked when she senses something different about Liz, something disturbingly familiar. Liz, meanwhile, increasingly doubts her sanity, but she's determined to make a fresh start. Unfortunately, the voice inside her head is getting stronger, and she's very, very angry. Carey, whose boundless imagination is in fine form, explores domestic violence, its aftermath, and the transformative power of love and hate with equal aplomb. Refreshingly, Carey resists the urge to instantly transform Liz from meek mom to brave avenger, but when Liz finally finds her footing, watch out, and the savvy but vulnerable Fran is a revelation.

This wonderfully strange and creepy tale is a thrilling, genre-defying treat.

Kirkus Reviews

"A first-rate, superbly paced paranormal thriller."—New York Times

"Someone Like Me is a taut clever thriller that left me utterly bereft when I'd finished. It's a masterpiece"—Louise Jensen, author of The Sister

"This wonderfully strange and creepy tale is a thrilling, genre-defying treat."—Kirkus

"Bold and unpredictable.... Just when you think you know what kind of story Carey is telling, he shifts gears and forces you to start your deductions from scratch.... Scary and incredibly tense."—SciFiNow

"Carey writes with compassion and fire - strange and surprising and humane."
—Lauren Beukes, author of The Shining Girls on The Boy on the Bridge

From the Publisher

In this paranormal thriller, narrator Robin Miles takes on the challenge of portraying two distinctly different versions of the main character. Liz Kendall is a domestic abuse survivor who, after a burst of violence, meets Beth Kendall—a hardened alternate version of herself who is out for revenge. Miles’s performance of Beth is delightfully edgy, even incendiary during times of stress, but laid-back and snarky as she makes plans to silence her abusive husband. Liz and Beth are also entwined with Fran, a fellow trauma survivor with an unusual companion of her own, a cartoon fox whose lisp and animated voice are given great care and detail by Miles. This is a standout performance of a twisty tale in which the characters’ worlds collide. J.E.C. © AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

DECEMBER 2018 - AudioFile