You Let Me In

You Let Me In

by Camilla Bruce

4 out of 5

Synopsis
'I wanted someone to know, you see. To know my truth, now that I am gone. How everything and none of it happened.'

Everyone knew bestselling novelist Cassandra Tipp had twice got away with murder.

Even her family were convinced of her guilt.

So when she disappears, leaving only a long letter behind, they can but suspect that her conscience finally killed her.

But the letter is not what anyone expected. It tells two chilling, darkly disturbing stories. One is a story of bloody nights and magical gifts, of children lost to the woods, of husbands made from twigs and leaves and feathers and bones . . .

The other is the story of a little girl who was cruelly treated and grew up crooked in the shadows . . .

But which story is true? And where is Cassie now?



Review
Throughout her life, Cassie is the only witness to the dark faeries' deeds. She has to survive her family and a murder trial.

I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is weird.
It is not a murder mystery, or thriller. It will not give you any answers.
Instead, it follows Cassie and her interactions with the faeries - these are not Disney Tinkerbells, they are real, dark, not-dead things that leech life.

For as long as she can remember, Pepper-Man has been there, drinking her blood and leeching her life, every night. He was a dark creature, who did horrible things towards all people. As a young girl, Cassie works hard to be worse than her Pepper-Man to scare people off, to keep them at a safe distance.
It seems that only Cassie can see the faeries, as her parents and others from town dismiss her silly 'stories', replacing her truth with something they can digest.

The book follows Cassie as she grows up, gets married, and eventually gets charged with the murder of her husband. This leads to her childhood psychiatrist writing an in-depth book (with Cassie's permission) about his dealings with his young subject, who is completely given over to her illusions.
Now everyone knows that she is crazy, and guilty of murder.

Cassie is not a reliable narrator, but in her words, just because one thing is the truth, doesn't make another thing untrue.
She has survived the emotional abuse inflicted by her mother, and she has come to terms with her whole family hating her. She is quiet, but strong. She accepts what she cannot change, and lives each day with simple joy.

There is always a question over what is real. Are faeries real? Is there some abuse in Cassie's early years that catapulted her into a lifetime of fantasies.
It is beautifully written, carefully balancing on the edge of both, to constantly keep you guessing, and making either a possibility. It hints at something disturbing, but still keeps you invested in Cassie and Pepper-Man's story.

This was a fascinating, but surreal story.

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