Review: I Am Not Who You Think I Am by Eric Rickstad

About the Book:

One secret.Eight cryptic words.Lifetimes of ruin.

Wayland Maynard is just eight years old when he sees his father kill himself, finds a note that reads I am not who you think I am, and is left reeling with grief and shock. Who was his father if not the loving man Wayland knew? Terrified, Wayland keeps the note a secret, but his reasons for being afraid are just beginning.

Eight years later, Wayland makes a shocking discovery and becomes certain the note is the key to unlocking a past his mother and others in his town want to keep buried.

With the help of two friends, Wayland searches for the truth. Together they uncover strange messages scribbled in his father’s old books, a sinister history behind the town’s most powerful family, and a bizarre tragedy possibly linked to Wayland’s birth. Each revelation raises more questions and deepens Wayland’s suspicions of everyone around him. Soon, he’ll regret he ever found the note, trusted his friends, or believed in such a thing as the truth.

I Am Not Who You Think I Am is an ingenious, addictive, and shattering tale of grief, obsession, and fate as eight words lead to lifetimes of ruin.

Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/i-am-not-who-you-think-i-am-by-eric-rickstad

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/49192398-i-am-not-who-you-think-i-am

My Thoughts:

Eric Rickstad’s I Am Not Who You Think I Am is catchy from the title to the last page. This gothic mystery is a page-turner that I finished quickly. Although the start is a bit slow while the story and characters are set up, the pace quickly ramps up as does the plot tension.

The author’s atmospheric writing immersed me in the small New England town, and the details he included that represented the 1970s to early 1980s were perfect. The characters are each complex, and no one is perfect; they’re all a blend of the good and bad influences that made them who they are. The “whys” for their actions are part of the deep, dark secrets that plague Wayland Maynard. As Wayland digs deeper into the broken memories of his father’s death, his grasp on reality and sanity seem to be questionable. I felt that I was by Wayland’s side, questioning everyone and everything! Increasingly, Wayland feels he has no one he can trust—not his tiny circle of friends and certainly not his family.

The story’s zenith is incredibly tense. The denouement is perfectly twisted and creepy. I loved the unique storyline of I Am Not Who You Think I Am, and I enjoyed being completely surprised by the ending!