Mary Kubica | WHEN THE LIGHTS GO OUT

Plot (via Goodreads):

Jessie Sloane is on the path to rebuilding her life after years of caring for her ailing mother. She rents a new apartment and applies for college. But when the college informs her that her social security number has raised a red flag, Jessie discovers a shocking detail that causes her to doubt everything she’s ever known.

Finding herself suddenly at the center of a bizarre mystery, Jessie tumbles down a rabbit hole, which is only exacerbated by grief and a relentless lack of sleep. As days pass and the insomnia worsens, it plays with Jessie’s mind. Her judgment is blurred, her thoughts are hampered by fatigue. Jessie begins to see things until she can no longer tell the difference between what’s real and what she’s only imagined.

Meanwhile, twenty years earlier and two hundred and fifty miles away, another woman’s split-second decision may hold the key to Jessie’s secret past. Has Jessie’s whole life been a lie or have her delusions gotten the best of her?

Review:

Mary Kubica is a force to be reckoned with. When the Lights Go Out is her latest title and easily one of my favorites since her debut - even though it took me a little while to initially get into this one. While this novel seems like more of a darker thriller, what it is in actuality is a domestic thriller that has drama and sorrow coursing through its veins. Told from the perspectives of two different women with twenty years apart, I was enthralled with Kubica’s ability to keep both stories separate and yet still allow the reader enough wiggle room to come up with their own theories as to what is happening in each separate perspective as well as what has occurred in the past twenty years. 

Eden’s perspective is filled with sorrow and yearning, but is done so poetically to keep her character sympathetic and hopeful. I enjoyed her character so much and really couldn’t get enough of her chapters as her storyline was paced rather slowly, getting darker with each desperate attempt to become a mother. Emotional and endearing, these chapters definitely kept me on the edge of my seat while tugging at my heartstrings a bit.

With Jessie’s chapters, I found them to be more cinematic and psychologically delicious while being a bit frightening. Yes, the emotions were still present but it was definitely at a faster pace than the chapters featuring Eden and I thoroughly was sympathetic in a different way with Jessie. From someone who’s had bouts of insomnia, these chapters were a little more unsettling and I loved how they played on Jessie’s mental state. What I enjoyed the most was Kubica’s way of letting Jessie’s mental state slip from her that is syncopated with the pages slipping away from your fingers. 

While this novel is definitely one that isn’t as suspenseful as what I usually read, nevertheless I found it to be completely immersive and chilling at all of the right times. A perfect blend of eerie and riveting combined with sorrowful and beguiling writing. Kubica’s way of weaving together razor-sharp characters with a cinematic backdrop and a story that is unique, this was one I enjoyed down to the emotionally charged and sanguine finale. 

Special thanks to Park Row Books for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5