Welcome to my review of If She Dies by Erik Therme. I did feel for Tess though, her grief is very raw, and her emotions are all over. This was an emotional read with a complex storyline that I enjoyed throughout.
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How do you survive the death of a child?
Nine months ago, Tess’s five-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident. The driver, Brady Becker, was sentenced to two years in prison. It didn’t make Tess’s pain go away.
Brady also has a daughter: A twelve-year-old named Eve who walks to Chandler Middle School every day. Tess knows this because she’s been watching Eve for the last few weeks. It isn’t fair that Brady’s daughter gets to live, while Tess’s daughter does not.
When Eve goes missing, all eyes turn to Tess, who doesn’t have an alibi. But Tess isn’t guilty.
Or so she believes.
Erik Therme has thrashed in garage bands, inadvertently harbored runaways, and met Darth Vader. When he’s not at his computer, he can be found cheering on his youngest daughter’s volleyball team, or watching horror movies with his oldest. He currently resides in Iowa City, Iowa—one of only twenty-eight places in the world that UNESCO has certified as a City of Literature. Join Erik’s mailing list to be notified of new releases and author giveaways: http://eepurl.com/cD1F8L
WEB: www.eriktherme.com
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I’ve never read a book by Erik Therme before; indeed, I have never even heard of him, so I thought I would give this one a try. I liked the cover and the blurb; it sounded really intriguing.
There are many twists and turns in this book. It’s character-driven, and we jump right in nine months after Tess’s five-year-old daughter has been cruelly killed by a driver, Brady Becker. Tess has been watching his daughter, twelve-year-old Eve, for weeks since following her mum home to find their address and realising that she so unfairly existed. She wants to make Eve’s life better but has no contact with her.
Throughout the story, we find out more about Eve and her life, Tess and her family and her relationship with her husband, Josh. Tess talked about her daughter’s death like a premeditated murder when it was clearly an accident. Two years isn’t a long sentence for life, but there is no reason to believe that Becker is a lousy person aside from Tess’s assumptions of him throughout most of the book.
Eve goes missing, and Tess doesn’t have an alibi. What happens next is the most shocking part of the story and gives a great twist for the ending.
The arrival of Tess’s twin brother, Colin, is intriguing. He knows what Tess has been up to in watching Eve, unlike her husband, and has good reason for staying away, but he is selfish and self-centred. He appears intermittently in the story and does make sense as to why he is there, but I think the story would have been fine without him.
The characters are all well developed. Tess feels guilty as she was looking after her daughter when she died. She is selfish, ignores her husband much of the time, and thinks she is the only one grieving. She is also neurotic and speculates conspiracies everywhere.
Her husband, Josh, is also guilt-ridden, but I don’t know exactly why. His favourite way to start any conversation is, “I’m sorry.” For most of the book, he is Tess’s punch bag, which seems utterly uncalled for and unfair. He suggests they try for another baby and perhaps donate some of their daughter’s belongings or sort through them, but Tess is appalled.
I did feel for Tess though, her grief is very raw, and her emotions are all over. This was an emotional read with a complex storyline that I enjoyed throughout.
| Title | If She Dies |
| Author | Erik Therme |
| Series | Harlow Book 1 |
| Format | Kindle |
| Page Count | 246 Pages |
| Genre | Mystery & Thriller |
| Publisher | Thecker Books |
| Release Date | 21st February 2021 |
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