I Know You by Russell Gover blogtour.

Eilidh, bright, headstrong and feisty, gets sparkling exam results that confirm her university place. Her boyfriend reveals he has deceived her. In the ensuing argument she is knocked unconscious. She arrives in 1984, in an Ethiopian refugee camp, where she nurses a dying child, then a wounded aid worker before wakening back home in present-day Scotland. Three days later, at an isolated beauty spot trying to come to terms with her ex boyfriend’s betrayal and her experience in Ethiopia, she encounters Walter, who is in the early stages of dementia. He is there because of a tattoo on his wrist that simply states the date and location of the beauty spot. Eilidh recognizes Walter’s symptoms, takes him home and contacts his niece to come and collect him.

Over the following 48-hour period Eilidh finds herself transported to various locations in Europe and North America, and time periods from the previous fifty years. Each episode draws her further into an unexpected and unconventional romance. Eventually she travels to WW2 blitzed Liverpool and meets a fellow time-traveler who explains that Eilidh faces a decision with life and death consequences.

Author

Russell Govan is a Scottish, Oxford-based author who had two well-received thrillers published in 2020 and 2021. His works have been shortlisted in numerous writing competitions, including an extract from a draft of this novel which was shortlisted for the 2019 Grindstone International Short Story Prize.

My Thoughts

A very interesting idea for a book and I think that when you are reading about a topic such as this it can easily become something of a nightmare.

In this case I think that there is no nightmare it is more of a dream. The way the book has been written flows smoothly and it makes you really feel as if you are there and in the action.

The names are difficult for me but that is more because I am not Irish so it’s hard for me to be able to really pronounce the names.

Eilidh is an interesting name and the character has a great deal of passion. She shows that she is very young at times and the betrayal of Findlay seems to make her seem a bit unstable at times. I do understand as it’s her first love and he abused her trust making her feel used and abused.

Some of the themes in this book can be a bit disturbing and it is not what one would call an easy book for reading. I don’t crave easy and I love a book that pushes things.

The travelling through time periods was interesting and was handled well. I think the best part for me is the Ethiopian village part as it seemed to have the most story that resonated with me.

The topics aren’t easy but at the same time I think that the writing style of this author really makes the topics a bit easier to handle and he does a great job of making you feel as if you were in the time periods.