Perhaps more accurately called gothic-horror rather than a thriller, but at the same time, it is not exactly horror either…this book quickly becomes very hard to categorise. What is not hard, is getting enveloped into the tale that is weaved by Camilla Bruce in her debut novel.
Fans of Patrick Ness’s A Monster Calls or Seanan McGuire’s Wayward Children series will find much familiarity here as similar elements of magical realism are used throughout the story. When it all comes to a conclusion and the fantastical elements begin to be stripped away by more rational thought, the heartbreak will feel familiar, too.
The entire book is written as a manuscript for Cassandra Tipp’s niece and nephew with instructions they are to follow upon her death or disappearance. Occasionally written in second person, the reader often feels very much a part of the story, as if they are being spoken to directly.
Cassandra Tipp is a well-known recluse, she has been acquitted of murder (more than once), and now she has disappeared. Literally disappeared, as there is no body left behind to be found. What she has left behind is a manuscript and very specific instructions. Her adult niece and nephew are her only heirs, and they must follow the instructions exactly, and must read her final manuscript in order to claim their inheritance.
That final manuscript is the real star of the show. Cassandra is ready to set the record straight. After all the rumours and the gossip throughout the years, she is going to give the full story, as well as her estate, to her sister’s son and daughter.
While Cassandra tells her version of her life’s story, she includes some of the thoughts and deductions of her court-appointed therapist that she has been required to see off and on over the years. It’s these passages that give the reader genuine insight into what the fantastical elements of her story are truly about, and what the use of them reveals about Cassandra’s life. It is soul-crushing and heart-breaking and will stay with you long after you have finished the final page.
Camilla Bruce is a Norwegian writer who readers should definitely keep an eye on. Her ability to combine elements of Seanan McGuire, Shirley Jackson, Tana French, and Patrick Ness (among others) makes this a truly exciting debut! I have a feeling I am going to be re-reading this in the fall, when we are all looking for books with that perfect spooky-vibe.
You Let Me In is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers as of April 21st 2020.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
You Let Me In delivers a stunning tale from debut author Camilla Bruce, combining the sinister domestic atmosphere of Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects with the otherworldly thrills of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean At The End of The Lane.
Cassandra Tipp is dead…or is she?
After all, the notorious recluse and eccentric bestselling novelist has always been prone to flights of fancy – everyone in town remembers the shocking events leading up to Cassie’s infamous trial (she may have been acquitted, but the insanity defense only stretches so far.)
Cassandra Tipp has left behind no body – just her massive fortune, and one final manuscript.
Then again, there are enough bodies in her past – her husband Tommy Tipp, whose mysterious disembowelment has never been solved, and a few years later, the shocking murder-suicide of her father and brother.
Cassandra Tipp will tell you a story – but it will come with a terrible price. What really happened, out there in the woods – and who has Cassie been protecting all along? Read on, if you dare…
