I'd Know You Anywhere

This book - I'd Know You Anywhere - was our book club's latest selection.

Here's what Publisher's Weekly has to say about it:

Near the start of this outstanding novel of psychological suspense from Edgar-winner Lippman (Life Sentences), Eliza Benedict, a 38-year-old married mother of two living in suburban Maryland, receives a letter from Walter Bowman, the man who kidnapped her the summer she was 15 and is now on death row. The narrative shifts between the present and that long ago summer, when Eliza involuntarily became a part of Walter's endless road trip, including the fateful night when he picked up another teenage girl, Holly Tackett. Soon after Walter killed Holly, Eliza was rescued and taken home. Eliza must now balance a need for closure with a desire to protect herself emotionally. Walter wants something specific from her, but she has no idea what, and she's not sure that she wants to know. All the relationships, from the sometimes contentious one between Eliza and her sister, Vonnie, to the significantly stranger one between Walter and Barbara LaFortuny, an advocate for prisoners, provide depth and breadth to this absorbing story.

Overall, I liked the book and it was an entertaining read.  It definitely held my interest, although it's definitely 'ripped from the headlines'.  I sort of felt like I was reading an article in Glamour magazine or watching an episode of Law and Order.  It certainly made for a great book club discussion and it seemed like our members mostly enjoyed it. 

This book did make me think about the nature of our selves.  The things I didn't like about Eliza - her acquiescence, her seeming malleability, her reactive personality - were ultimately the aspects of her personality that kept her alive.  They served her well during her ordeal but I found myself wondering if they had continued to serve her in her life.

Pondering this idea made the book really worthwhile to me.