When the Lights Go Out
(Libby/OverDrive eBook)

This fifth stand-alone psychological thriller (after Every Last Lie, 2017) from New York Times best-selling author Kubica will keep readers riveted as they witness the unraveling of the lives of two women, one in the present, the other in the past. Jessie Sloane is struggling to build a new life after years of being sole caregiver to her mother through a protracted and ultimately terminal illness. Her disorientation, heightened by chronic insomnia, turns into sheer panic and hallucinatory mania when she applies for college, only to learn that her Social Security number belongs to a deceased three-year-old. Her mother's story, set 20 years earlier, explains why her life had been so secretive that Jessie knows nothing about her mother's past, nor even her father's name. The ending brings a stunning ironic twist, with a resolution that some readers may find disconcerting. Overall, though, this intensely moving novel about identity and deceit is strongly recommended for anyone who has been drawn to the current wave of Girl sagas.--Jane Murphy Copyright 2018 Booklist

Jessie Sloane, the chief narrator of this lackluster psychological thriller from bestseller Kubica (Every Last Lie), spends her teen years caring for her mother, Eden, until Eden dies from cancer at their home in Chicago. Numb with grief, insomniac Jessie tries to get on with her life by applying to a community college, but a college official informs her that her Social Security number belongs to a girl who died 17 years earlier. Jessie never knew who her father was, nor does she have a birth certificate or a driver's license, so trying to find her identity seems insurmountable. As Jessie's insomnia worsens, she makes one bad decision after another. Flashbacks from Eden's viewpoint show that she and her husband, Aaron, were loving newlyweds, but their marriage soured when Eden became consumed with having a baby. Jessie's inability to tell reality from illusion quickly becomes tiresome, as does Eden and Aaron's story. Eden's account plods to a disappointing finale. Kubica fans will hope for a return to form next time. Agent: Rachael Dillon Fried, Greenburger Assoc. (Sept.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Her mother's cancer returned when Jessie Sloane was 15, and for the next six years, Jessie cared for her. After Jessie's mother dies, her financial aid application is rejected because her social security number belongs to a dead girl with her name. Jessie needs to find out who she is. She has always longed to know who her father was, so maybe she'll learn his identity as well. Jessie and her mother had lived a severely sequestered life for reasons only her mother knew. Owing to her insomnia, Jessie hasn't slept in days, and she can no longer discern what's real from what isn't. More than 20 years earlier, Eden Sloane had wanted a baby so badly that she would risk anything, do anything to get one. Journal entries relate just how much she sacrificed to achieve that goal. VERDICT Fans of Kubica (Don't You Cry; The Good Girl) will enjoy this exploration of the timely topic of child identity theft. With the author's trademark alternating story lines, this novel tugs at readers' heartstrings, arouses their ire, and provokes them before the final twist. [See Prepub Alert, 3/26/18.]-Elizabeth Masterson, Mecklenburg Cty. Jail Lib., Charlotte, NC © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

When Jessie Sloane's mother, Eden, dies of cancer, Jessie is left rudderless. Then she discovers she might not be the person she thought she was.Jessie never knew her father, and she can't bear to live in the house that she shared with Eden, so she puts it on the market. When she applies to community college, she gets a call with the alarming news that a death certificate was filed 17 years ago with her name and social security number on it. She'll need to get a copy of her social security card, but without a birth certificate or driver's licenseshe doesn't driveit's nearly impossible, and when a clerk takes pity on her and does a search, no records are found. It's a vicious circle, and it hampers her ability to find an apartment, although she does eventually find a place in a small carriage house she rents from reclusive widow Ms. Geissler. Unfortunately, in addition to the question of her identity, she's got a more pressing problem: Jessie has insomnia, and as the days pass and she doesn't sleep, she begins to hear and see things, eventually wondering how long she can go without sleep before it kills her. Woven with Jessie's first-person narrative is Eden's tale, beginning 20 years ago in 1996 when she's only 28. She and her husband, Aaron, are crazy in love and desperately hope for a child, but as time passes and they don't conceive, they begin trying more aggressive, and more expensive, methods. Eden's obsession builds to a fever pitch, threatening to tear her and Aaron apart. Jessie's story, an effective study of grief, nightmarishly builds to its own fever pitch, and Kubica peppers her narrative with creepy, surreal touches that will have readers questioning reality right along with Jessie. Eden's story, on the other hand, poignantly examines what it's like to want a child so badly that you'll do anything to have one. Can Jessie find out who she really is before it's too late? It all leads to a denouement that isn't very surprising, but a lesser writer might not have been able to pull off the final twist.Kubica is a helluva storyteller, and while this doesn't quite equal her best efforts, it's still pretty darn good. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

This fifth stand-alone psychological thriller (after Every Last Lie, 2017) from New York Times best-selling author Kubica will keep readers riveted as they witness the unraveling of the lives of two women, one in the present, the other in the past. Jessie Sloane is struggling to build a new life after years of being sole caregiver to her mother through a protracted and ultimately terminal illness. Her disorientation, heightened by chronic insomnia, turns into sheer panic and hallucinatory mania when she applies for college, only to learn that her Social Security number belongs to a deceased three-year-old. Her mother's story, set 20 years earlier, explains why her life had been so secretive that Jessie knows nothing about her mother's past, nor even her father's name. The ending brings a stunning ironic twist, with a resolution that some readers may find disconcerting. Overall, though, this intensely moving novel about identity and deceit is strongly recommended for anyone who has been drawn to the current wave of Girl sagas. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.

Remaking her life after her mother succumbs to cancer, Jessica uncovers a secret that undermines her sense of self even as she navigates a world made hazy by sleeplessness. Meanwhile, the heartbreak of Eden's unmet wish to have a child brings on marital stress, emotional collapse, and, finally, some dangerous behavior. Top-drawer suspense author Kubica (The Good Girl; Every Last Lie) connects the dots; a 250,000-copy first printing.

Her mother's cancer returned when Jessie Sloane was 15, and for the next six years, Jessie cared for her. After Jessie's mother dies, her financial aid application is rejected because her social security number belongs to a dead girl with her name. Jessie needs to find out who she is. She has always longed to know who her father was, so maybe she'll learn his identity as well. Jessie and her mother had lived a severely sequestered life for reasons only her mother knew. Owing to her insomnia, Jessie hasn't slept in days, and she can no longer discern what's real from what isn't. More than 20 years earlier, Eden Sloane had wanted a baby so badly that she would risk anything, do anything to get one. Journal entries relate just how much she sacrificed to achieve that goal. VERDICT Fans of Kubica (Don't You Cry; The Good Girl) will enjoy this exploration of the timely topic of child identity theft. With the author's trademark alternating story lines, this novel tugs at readers' heartstrings, arouses their ire, and provokes them before the final twist. [See Prepub Alert, 3/26/18.]—Elizabeth Masterson, Mecklenburg Cty. Jail Lib., Charlotte, NC (c) Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Jessie Sloane, the chief narrator of this lackluster psychological thriller from bestseller Kubica (Every Last Lie), spends her teen years caring for her mother, Eden, until Eden dies from cancer at their home in Chicago. Numb with grief, insomniac Jessie tries to get on with her life by applying to a community college, but a college official informs her that her Social Security number belongs to a girl who died 17 years earlier. Jessie never knew who her father was, nor does she have a birth certificate or a driver's license, so trying to find her identity seems insurmountable. As Jessie's insomnia worsens, she makes one bad decision after another. Flashbacks from Eden's viewpoint show that she and her husband, Aaron, were loving newlyweds, but their marriage soured when Eden became consumed with having a baby. Jessie's inability to tell reality from illusion quickly becomes tiresome, as does Eden and Aaron's story. Eden's account plods to a disappointing finale. Kubica fans will hope for a return to form next time. Agent: Rachael Dillon Fried, Greenburger Assoc. (Sept.)