Close to Me

October 2, 2017
Partial amnesia has become an overused gimmick in psychological thrillers, as shown by British author Reynolds’s mundane debut. Jo Harding wakes up in the hospital following a fall down the stairs at her home. She can’t remember anything that occurred during the past year, and her husband, Rob, seems determined to keep her in the dark. Her grown children, son Fin and daughter Sash, also are vague about the previous year. At home, Jo wonders if her fall happened during an argument with Rob, or if he pushed her, especially since he barely lets her out of his sight. As flashes of memory return, Jo worries whether Rob was having an affair—or whether she was, since she keeps seeing images of a naked man in bed. Jo’s search for her memory quickly becomes wearisome. Whiny, self-centered personalities give little reason to care about any of the characters, and the banal denouement is more of a shrug than a surprise. Agent: Sarah Williams, Sophie Hicks Agency (U.K.).