With #Rio16 fast approaching- Megan Abbott’s latest, You Will Know Me, came just in time to show the dark side of gymnastics, parents who will do anything to help their child achieve their dreams, and the ugliness of relationships.

 

This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration.

You Will Know Me

Summary: Katie and Eric Knox have dedicated their lives to their fifteen-year-old daughter Devon, a gymnastics prodigy and Olympic hopeful. But when a violent death rocks their close-knit gymnastics community just weeks before an all-important competition, everything the Knoxes have worked so hard for feels suddenly at risk. As rumors swirl among the other parents, revealing hidden plots and allegiances, Katie tries frantically to hold her family together while also finding herself drawn, irresistibly, to the crime itself, and the dark corners it threatens to illuminate. From a writer with “exceptional gifts for making nerves jangle and skin crawl,” (Janet Maslin) You Will Know Me is a breathless rollercoaster of a novel about the desperate limits of desire, jealousy, and ambition.

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

When I first finished this book, my thoughts were “Gymnasts be crazy!” But that’s not really fair ( or accurate!) It’s a glib statement. But it is what I thought for a bit.

Megan Abbott and I go back to Dare Me- a book about the dark side of cheerleading with a character that could be the younger sister to Amy from Gone Girl. I kinda have a love/WTH relationship with the books. Megan writes like no one else- and I love the dark places she goes. But sometimes- it’s too dark. Or I just want to scream at a parent to buy a clue. (In this book, less screaming at parents- these parents would do anything, maybe even eat their young to get dreams achieved!)

It’s dark. It truly is. It shows how gymnasts are truly alone in their world- they don’t interact much with outside world- they don’t have the time. It’s got jealousy and that whole “I’m going to kill a head cheerleader so my daughter can be head cheerleader” vibe of those Lifetime movies. But it’s more than that- it’s also a social commentary on women and relationships. It’s got an introspective feel at times (at least to me).

Megan’s books are not for everyone- they are not classic “thrillers”- they have multiple layers- a hook to get you excited for the story, but also character reflection.

Bottom line: I liked it!

 

*You Will Know Me is a Book Sparks #SRC2016 July selection. This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All Thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T