I really enjoyed B.A. Paris’s other two novels, The Breakdown and Behind Closed Doors. They’re a little ridiculous — the kind of plotting and villains that work so well in thrillers but ONLY in thrillers. Bring Me Back is that same style of thriller, but it REALLY veers into soap opera territory. I’m not 100% sure it was Paris’s first novel, but it definitely reads like one.
10 years ago, Finn and Layla go on vacation, and Layla disappears at a rest stop. In present day, Finn — who was obviously suspected in her disappearance — has moved on, and getting ready to marry Layla’s sister, Ellen. They bonded over Layla, of course. But then things start to happen — an old neighbor thinks he sees Layla, some of her possessions start to show up around the house. As Finn begins to investigate, he starts to wonder if he can trust anyone — even Ellen.
We’ve seen plots like this a million times, and it’s worth the read to find out what happens. What really makes it a 2 star book compared to her other two is the writing. It’s so…soapy. The characters are extremely exaggerated and the dialogue is so stilted. And then there’s the internal narration. I mean:
“I wait for the images to fade, listening for the sound of somebody’s presence, a movement from one of the rooms, a floorboard creaking upstairs. But there is only silence, and the dust of hopes never fulfilled, taunting me with what could have been, if only I’d acted differently.”
The dust of hopes are TAUNTING, y’all.
