Crime Fiction: Megan Abbot's You Will Know Me

Publication date: 28 July 2016
Published by: Picador
Genre: Psychological Thriller

Publisher's synopsis
Katie and her husband Eric have made their daughter Devon the centre of their world. Talented, determined, a rising gymnastics star, Devon is the focus of her parents' lives and the lynchpin of their marriage. There is nothing they wouldn't do for her.
When a violent hit-and-run accident sends shockwaves through their close-knit community, Katie is immediately concerned for her daughter. She and Eric have worked so hard to protect Devon from anything that might distract or hurt her. That's what every parent wants for their child, after all. Even if they don't realize how much you've sacrificed for them. Even if they are keeping secrets from you . . .

My Review

You Will Know Me was published last summer and is currently out in hardback and kindle version.  It will no doubt be on the bookstands of major airport newsagents once it becomes available in paperback form and dubbed the next Gone Girl or the next Girl on the Train. What these books all have in common is that they are domestic psychological thrillers although I use the word 'thriller' loosely.

You Will Know Me is about a couple, Katie and Eric, with a daughter, Devon, who is a talented gymnast.  Her coach advises them that she has the potential to become an elite athlete and presents a plan to groom her for the Olympics.

Both parents, but Eric, in particular, become overly fixated on Devon's future and willing to do whatever it takes to ensure her success.  They have a younger son, who tends to get overlooked in the pursuit of the dream.  The family becomes part of a tight-knit community of parents with children who are gymnasts - none of whom are as talented as Devon.  The novel delves into the world of gymnastics and we gain an insight into the competitiveness and the various challenges it presents both financially and emotionally - challenges that directly effect all members of the family.

A mystery emerges when we learn that certain members of the family may be connected to the victim of the hit-and-run accident in ways that are both shocking and potentially suggestive of culpability in his death.  Unfortunately, the story did not work for me because I was neither thrilled nor intrigued, which presumably is supposed to be the point.