Astrid is trying not to drink. She’s been sober for over six months, and while it is a daily temptation, she is staying straight. She goes to meetings. She is living with her mother, who is holding her accountable, but Astrid just can’t bring herself to go all in on the program. She hasn’t worked the steps. As someone who doesn’t believe in God, she’s gotten herself stuck at that second step, the one about the Higher Power. But she’s still staying sober. Day by day.
And she’s mourning the loss of her boyfriend Simon.
Astrid and Simon were very much in love. And very self-destructive. Together, their collective alcoholism kept them broke and broken, isolated from family and so desperate for money that they’d rob a mother just out walking her toddler.
Simon had gotten sober first. He’d gotten his life together, new job, new relationship; he was moving forward. But a chance encounter with Astrid, and all Simon’s hard work was gone. He was drinking again. And then, just weeks later, he was dead.
Now Astrid is trying to recover from the guilt of that, of that and all the other shameful things she had done when she was drinking. So she goes to meetings, where over-eager Rosie tries to befriend her. And where Helen shoots her knowing glances, like she understands. And Astrid walks along the sea, where she meets Josh, a handsome swimmer who asks her to coffee.
But as she’s fighting to stay sober and build a new life with new friends, Astrid can’t help but feel pulled back to her old life. The scent of Simon’s aftershave in the air. A shirt just like the one he used to wear in the window of a charity shop. Astrid’s senses are heightened as she feels like she’s being followed, being watched. And then the first threat shows up on her doorstep.
As Astrid tries to stay sober, she realizes she also has to figure out who from her past is trying to bring her down. Who in this small town is the person who wants her to suffer? And will she survive all this without losing her sobriety? Without losing her mind? Without losing her life?
Lesley Kara, the author of The Rumor, is back with a compelling suspense about a woman just trying to live better while her past wants to destroy her. Who Did You Tell? is a powerful novel of the unique struggles of those who work to recover from addiction as well as a spine-tingling psychological thriller about a woman trying to make up for the mistakes of her past. I had a very hard time setting this one down. Who Did You Tell? works as a suspenseful novel as well as a peek into recovery for those who are friends or family to addicts struggling to stay sober and sane.
Galleys for Who Did You Tell? were provided by Random House UK, Transworld Publishers through NetGalley, with many thanks.