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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5 ⭐️ Since this is more of a mystery than a thriller I suggest going into this one blind. This book isn’t perfect, there are a couple inconsistencies & I’m not sure in the end how plausible it is. However, it has two things going for it: first, I did the audiobook & Catherine narrates herself. Normally I find that’s not a good decision on the author’s part but this author is a well known actress & she does an excellent job. Second, the way the story unfolds really worked for me. I started & finished this in one day because I had to know what happens. I’m curious what everyone is going to think of this one. I think readers who only dabble in this genre are gonna love it. I think the die hard thriller readers are going to fall between 3-4 stars like me. This book ticked a couple boxes for me on my reading challenges & I actually think this one is better than her first. I’m not mad at it
I felt that this story was quite random. There’s an attempt at symbolism but it falls short. This book is what I call - and it pains me to say this - fake deep. I read Catherine Steadman’s first book and it was of course a lot better than this one, although it’s unfair to compare both books. Mr. Nobody had little character development and little meaningful interactions and dialogue between the characters. All the characters were meh! You didn’t really know who they were, are, or what generally drives them and motivates them. Which is quite the opposite from Catherine Steadman’s first book. Motivations were vague in this book. Not sure why Mathew/Stephen/Mr. Nobody chose evil every time his life reset. Not sure why Emma was okay with being a home wrecker. Not sure why Chris had no problem cheating on his wife. And despite the elaborate attempt to explain, I’m not sure how Mathew orchestrated the whole thing in order to get to Emma and when he did, decided that it’s best to kill her...??? Anyone care to explain? Overall, mediocre plot. Now, let me note that I started this book knowing that it won’t quite be like Steadman’s other book and so I wasn’t comparing while I read it, and I also knew that I am probably in for a weaker story. Why did I choose to read it anyway? Well, Catherine Steadman is just an incredibly amazing voice actress. I was thoroughly impressed by her performance in Something in the Water and was still deeply shaken by her performance in Mr. Nobody. I want Catherine Steadman to narrate every single book I listen to. She’s just incredibly talented. She has a way of conveying feelings that are in between the lines. She conveys the hidden meanings brilliantly. The way she reads faster in action-like scenes and the way she goes lower and deeper when the character is contemplative are just two of the many ways that her voice draws me in. All of this still does no justice to Steadman’s acting. She isn’t a narrator, she’s an actor and it bloody shows!! If there were oscars for voice acting, I’d give her a couple!
mysterious
medium-paced
This is the second book by Catherine Steadman I’ve read and I love the author’s first person perspectives! She also does a great job offering up unique twists :) Where this book of hers in particular fell short for me was a less than resolute ending (imho).
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
As a fan of mystery and thrillers, Mr. Nobody was definitely up my alley, but it didn’t quite deliver what I was hoping for. While the premise was intriguing, I found myself struggling to feel that "thrill factor" that keeps me flipping pages late into the night.
One of the challenges for me was feeling connected to the characters. They seemed well-written but didn’t resonate deeply or pull me into their world. It made it harder to stay fully invested in the story.
That said, there was one thing I really enjoyed—the short chapters! I always appreciate when books are paced this way, as it keeps the reading experience flowing smoothly and makes it easy to pick up and put down during a busy day.
Overall, Mr. Nobody had potential, but it just didn’t fully hit the mark for me. It’s worth checking out if you enjoy a slower-paced mystery, but if you’re looking for a nail-biting thriller, you might not find it here.
One of the best mysteries I've read in a long time. Had no idea where it was going and enjoyed the ride all the way down.
Mr. Nobody is an atypical thriller. Pageturnery and boasting an intriguing premise, Steadman, fresh off her previous book, [b:Something in the Water|36388243|Something in the Water|Catherine Steadman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528120440l/36388243._SY75_.jpg|58079049], delivers another satisfying—though not necessarily exceptional—book for this reader who doesn't (in general) enjoy the typical formula for thrillers. It seems that most people tend to prefer thrillers whose style and prose are not the main focus and which is mostly driven by plot, ending chapters with nail biting cliffhangers that force you to begin the next chapter immediately. Seemingly, people want their thrillers to play out like a movie in their heads...but for some reason, my brain rarely gets thrilled by today's thrillers. Whatever allowances I make with the usage of tropes in other genres, thrillers seem to garner a more critical eye from me.
Books that others find dark and moody, I feel the author too much and it's never as dark as I expect. The style is important to me and something I want to notice. I'm certainly distrustful of a book written in first person present tense—this is a huge deal for me. I am more likely to dislike a book written in first person present tense because I find, more often than not (clearly), the author simply does a terrible job of using present tense. I don't like feeling the author in most books and certainly not in thrillers. First person present tense is the fastest way for me to get a frontal lobe headache from the feeling of being author-bound inside the here and now with the immediacy of present tense.
And yet, here comes Mr. Nobody—which seems to fall under all these categories that should have been a surefire way for me to toss the book across the room. However, the cover is striking, the premise intriguing, and I liked Steadman's previous book well enough. That's not to say this book is without its faults...I found it delightful on the whole, but the details still draw criticisms.
First of all, I think the opening chapters grabbed my attention. A man is found on a beach in the UK and he doesn't remember who he is. The police have been called and the panic he feels is exciting. Plus, we know from his inner dialogue that this man is targeting the other main character, Dr. Emma Lewis, a neuropsychiatrist who he knows he has to find. Steadman handles this wonderfully, cinematically (more on this in a minute), and the stage is properly set for the titular Mr. Nobody.
As the chapters continue, we learn a bit more about Emma. Her narration is the one pivotal perspective necessary for the book, mainly because there's a lot about this book that is character-driven rather than plot driven. And then there's Rhoda, a nurse at the hospital where Mr. Nobody is being treated. And then I believe Chris Poole gets a chapter or two to narrate, and then Zara Poole, Chris's wife, also gets one or two. The choppy delivery of this book is really down to the strange decision to break it up both from different characters' perspectives, but also from different spots on the timeline. Day 1—Day 6—Day 2—Day 8...back and forth and switching narrators all the while. Storywise, there was very little reason for the off-kilter, time-overlay. The opening chapter actually is from a scene nearly at the end and Steadman is purposefully evasive about the situation and the identity of the driver.
Those are my biggest complaints about the book on the whole. Steadman sticks with first person present tense with Emma, and then mainly third person limited present tense with the others—though she does dip inexplicably into an omniscient narrator when switching mid-chapter from Mr. Nobody (who is quickly dubbed Matthew) to Rhoda, or the like. The decision to include points-of-view from Chris, Zara, and Rhoda were rather gimmicky—a way to tell parts of the story that Emma doesn't know about just so the reader can. The structure was rather clumsy, especially for the first half. It kept me turning the pages, but it also frustrated me a bit and forced an accusatory pointing finger at the author for purposefully manipulating the scenes.
Some of that straightens out midway through and we at least settle into a linear timeline where Emma's Day x has caught up with Matthew's Day y. While some of Emma's decisions brought up that feeling of a typical thriller (No, don't do that! says the reader to the page), for the most part I found her decision-making quite rational or understandable to her mindset at the time. I mean, honestly, the gut of this book is the neurowhatever doubting her own mind while treating a patient for his fugue state.
Steadman's writing speaks to the style of movie-making (not necessarily movie-going, though that's there, too). Somehow, taking everything into account, she really does a fantastic job of writing in the present tense—a choice that often can be simply a lazy one for trapping the reader in the developing action for reasons of suspense. She seems to approach this story (and [b:Something in the Water|36388243|Something in the Water|Catherine Steadman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528120440l/36388243._SY75_.jpg|58079049]) as a cinematic experience from an actor's approach. She has established the characters to be portrayed and set the scene to be dressed. In some ways she trusts the reader to be in the know (Emma's inner dialogue), and yet in other ways, she lacks the faith that the reader can get there on their own (the chapters from the peripheral points-of-view). I think as Steadman continues to improve her craft and develops better as a focused writer, she will really come into her own, and I look forward to what she brings next.
Books that others find dark and moody, I feel the author too much and it's never as dark as I expect. The style is important to me and something I want to notice. I'm certainly distrustful of a book written in first person present tense—this is a huge deal for me. I am more likely to dislike a book written in first person present tense because I find, more often than not (clearly), the author simply does a terrible job of using present tense. I don't like feeling the author in most books and certainly not in thrillers. First person present tense is the fastest way for me to get a frontal lobe headache from the feeling of being author-bound inside the here and now with the immediacy of present tense.
And yet, here comes Mr. Nobody—which seems to fall under all these categories that should have been a surefire way for me to toss the book across the room. However, the cover is striking, the premise intriguing, and I liked Steadman's previous book well enough. That's not to say this book is without its faults...I found it delightful on the whole, but the details still draw criticisms.
First of all, I think the opening chapters grabbed my attention. A man is found on a beach in the UK and he doesn't remember who he is. The police have been called and the panic he feels is exciting. Plus, we know from his inner dialogue that this man is targeting the other main character, Dr. Emma Lewis, a neuropsychiatrist who he knows he has to find. Steadman handles this wonderfully, cinematically (more on this in a minute), and the stage is properly set for the titular Mr. Nobody.
As the chapters continue, we learn a bit more about Emma. Her narration is the one pivotal perspective necessary for the book, mainly because there's a lot about this book that is character-driven rather than plot driven. And then there's Rhoda, a nurse at the hospital where Mr. Nobody is being treated. And then I believe Chris Poole gets a chapter or two to narrate, and then Zara Poole, Chris's wife, also gets one or two. The choppy delivery of this book is really down to the strange decision to break it up both from different characters' perspectives, but also from different spots on the timeline. Day 1—Day 6—Day 2—Day 8...back and forth and switching narrators all the while. Storywise, there was very little reason for the off-kilter, time-overlay. The opening chapter actually is from a scene nearly at the end and Steadman is purposefully evasive about the situation and the identity of the driver.
Those are my biggest complaints about the book on the whole. Steadman sticks with first person present tense with Emma, and then mainly third person limited present tense with the others—though she does dip inexplicably into an omniscient narrator when switching mid-chapter from Mr. Nobody (who is quickly dubbed Matthew) to Rhoda, or the like. The decision to include points-of-view from Chris, Zara, and Rhoda were rather gimmicky—a way to tell parts of the story that Emma doesn't know about just so the reader can. The structure was rather clumsy, especially for the first half. It kept me turning the pages, but it also frustrated me a bit and forced an accusatory pointing finger at the author for purposefully manipulating the scenes.
Some of that straightens out midway through and we at least settle into a linear timeline where Emma's Day x has caught up with Matthew's Day y. While some of Emma's decisions brought up that feeling of a typical thriller (No, don't do that! says the reader to the page), for the most part I found her decision-making quite rational or understandable to her mindset at the time. I mean, honestly, the gut of this book is the neurowhatever doubting her own mind while treating a patient for his fugue state.
Steadman's writing speaks to the style of movie-making (not necessarily movie-going, though that's there, too). Somehow, taking everything into account, she really does a fantastic job of writing in the present tense—a choice that often can be simply a lazy one for trapping the reader in the developing action for reasons of suspense. She seems to approach this story (and [b:Something in the Water|36388243|Something in the Water|Catherine Steadman|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1528120440l/36388243._SY75_.jpg|58079049]) as a cinematic experience from an actor's approach. She has established the characters to be portrayed and set the scene to be dressed. In some ways she trusts the reader to be in the know (Emma's inner dialogue), and yet in other ways, she lacks the faith that the reader can get there on their own (the chapters from the peripheral points-of-view). I think as Steadman continues to improve her craft and develops better as a focused writer, she will really come into her own, and I look forward to what she brings next.
2.5 stars, rounded up.
This was a weird book. I thought it would fill the slot for a great thriller beach read, but...it didn't really.
Honestly, it was kind of weird from the start. The pacing was kind of off, the characters stilted and awkward (we get it, Emma's a doctor. That doesn't mean I need her medical expertise asides every other sentence. Or to be reminded that she apparently doesn't have a life and works ALL THE TIME. Again, she's a VERY IMPORTANT doctor lady. Message received). The plot meanders a bit, and just feels off somehow.
None of this really got better as the book went on, unfortunately. What kept me reading was the fact that it moved along at an okay clip, and honestly I just wanted to know who the hell Mr. Nobody was and if it had anything to do with Emma's past.
The answer on both of those fronts was entirely disappointing. By the time we get to the "reveal" the story just goes completely off the rails. Emma loses all common sense completely, which is odd for the clearly smart and capable professional she tells us she is throughout the book, and there are just weird loose ends everywhere.
I found the premise intriguing enough, but it just didn't come together or move along his I wish it would have. There's potential here, but to fix what's wrong would make this a very different book.
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this - I just wish I had enjoyed it more.
This was a weird book. I thought it would fill the slot for a great thriller beach read, but...it didn't really.
Honestly, it was kind of weird from the start. The pacing was kind of off, the characters stilted and awkward (we get it, Emma's a doctor. That doesn't mean I need her medical expertise asides every other sentence. Or to be reminded that she apparently doesn't have a life and works ALL THE TIME. Again, she's a VERY IMPORTANT doctor lady. Message received). The plot meanders a bit, and just feels off somehow.
None of this really got better as the book went on, unfortunately. What kept me reading was the fact that it moved along at an okay clip, and honestly I just wanted to know who the hell Mr. Nobody was and if it had anything to do with Emma's past.
The answer on both of those fronts was entirely disappointing. By the time we get to the "reveal" the story just goes completely off the rails. Emma loses all common sense completely, which is odd for the clearly smart and capable professional she tells us she is throughout the book, and there are just weird loose ends everywhere.
I found the premise intriguing enough, but it just didn't come together or move along his I wish it would have. There's potential here, but to fix what's wrong would make this a very different book.
Thank you Netgalley for an advanced copy of this - I just wish I had enjoyed it more.
For readers who enjoyed "Something in the Water" by the author - they will thoroughly enjoy this great read. Twists and turns at every page. Just as soon as I felt that I'd figured out who the mystery man was, something else would be revealed. I enjoyed the suspense, excitement and unique storyline. Finding myself holding my breath at moments and actually feeling the fear of maybe waking up from an accident and not knowing at all who I am. After reading the 2 books published by Catherine Steadman and really liking both - I'm excited to see and read what the author is up to next!
(I was given an advance reader copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for my fair and unbiased review of the book. These opinions are my own.)
(I was given an advance reader copy of this book by Netgalley in exchange for my fair and unbiased review of the book. These opinions are my own.)