Yesterday by Felicia Yap Book Review

BLURB

How do you solve a murder when you can only remember yesterday?

There are two types of people in the world. Those who can only remember yesterday, and those who can also recall the day before.

You have just one lifeline to the past: your diary. Each night, you write down the things that matter. Each morning, your diary tells you where you were, who you loved and what you did.

Today, the police are at your door. They say that the body of your husband's mistress has been found in the River Cam. They think your husband killed her two days ago.

Can you trust the police? Can you trust your husband? Can you trust yourself?


MY THOUGHTS 

I have been looking forward to reading Yesterday since I first heard about early last year and I was thrilled when my copy came in the post. I couldn’t wait to get started.

We all take memory for granted. It is only apparent how much we rely on memory during police investigations, exams and when a loved one passes away. In the world Felicia Yap has created in her debut novel, Yesterday, there are two types of people: Monos and Duos. A Mono can only remember the day before yesterday whereas a Duo can remember two days before. This is how people are segregated in this world, not by wealth or religion but by how much a person can remember. And Monos are often discriminated against by Duos.

Claire and Mark are going through a rocky period in their marriage. Claire is a Mono, her husband, Mark; bestselling novelist turned politician is a Duo. Their marriage is rare in Felicia’s world and The Queen has recently given Royal Assent to an Act of Parliament designed to encourage more mixed marriages between Monos and Duos. When the body of a young woman is found in Cambridgeshire’s river Cam, suspicion quickly falls on Mark. Can Claire really trust the person that she married, can she trust the facts that she has carefully stored over the years they have been together?

Felicia’s unique concept for her novel is intriguing: how do you solve a murder when you only remember yesterday? For the detective investigating the suspicious death of the young woman, this is all too true and he vows to have the mystery solved by the end of the day. I admired his determination as he got to grips with the case and his will power to see it through; this definitely added pace to the novel as the detective raced against the clock to get answers.

Perhaps it would make for a better world if we could only remember yesterday, after all no one would be able to hold grudges against others as they wouldn’t be able to remember the reason why particularly with the state of the world as it is at the moment.

Yesterday is a brilliant debut. If you loved Before I Go To Sleep you’ll love this book. Really, really excellent, I’m sure Yesterday will be one of the biggest hits of the summer. Thank you to Millie Seaward at Headline for sending me an advance proof copy. 

Publisher: Wildfire

Publication date: 10th August 2017

Print length: 432 pages 

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