Someone Like Me

In Carey's (The Girl with All the Gifts) latest novel, Liz Kendall tries to raise her two children while dealing with her abusive husband, Mark. When he attacks her, she retaliates. This flips an internal switch, bringing out a violent streak to her character in the form of a polar opposite personality named Beth. Beth encourages Liz to protect herself when Mark pressures her to drop the assault charge. This results in a brutal confrontation in which Beth kills Mark. Eventually, Beth becomes the dominate force in Liz's life. At the same time, Gil Watts deals with his troubled daughter Fran, who was abducted and abused during childhood. In therapy, taking medication, and regularly interacting with an imaginary fox-like creature, Fran runs a fine line between sanity and madness while coming to grips with her assault. The two families' lives intertwine while they battle their inner and outer demons as Fran becomes involved with Liz's son Zack. The work explores personal identity and sanity. Reader Robin Miles does an excellent job telling the story.