Very enjoyable read and so hard to put down – I raced through the chapters desperate to find out what happened to Ruby after her mum Deena disappeared. Well-written, incredibly tense and chilling in parts, I loved how we were able to examine how Deena’s disappearance affected all of those people who were close to her and how this led to further trauma and pain for both Nessa and Ruby in particular. My only one minor criticism would be how quickly things were wrapped up at the end, as it contrasted with the slow burn but intriguing pace of the plot throughout the book.
Thank you to Faber and Faber and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

Deena Garvey disappears in 2004 and she leaves behind a young daughter and a brother and sister.
Her daughter is taken from the family to live with her controlling father and his mother in the depths of the countryside. She has no friends and is home schooled.
Miles away her aunt has never forgotten her and is secretly watching over her.
Will they ever be re-united and at what cost?

I enjoyed this book very much although some of it was so sad it moved me to tears.

I was engrossed in the events and I almost felt that I was living it alongside Ruby and Nessa. I dont know how the author did it but particularly at the start there is a real feeling of danger and menace and in a way you are afraid to find out what happens

I felt that all the characters were well drawn and differentiated and the dialogue and events rang true and it's a great story. Ruby is a very sympathetic character and you really want things to go well for her. I felt for Nessa and the effect her losses had on her life. It was also interesting to see how she and her brother coped differently with what happened.

The chapters are headed with the month and year of the events described and at first I got a bit mixed up to start with trying to work out the exact timelines but then I realised that the exact dates of things don't really matter other than to show Ruby's age and I just read on.

The one small issue I have is that events came to a head very quickly but I can see that this would mirror Ruby's reactions - finally finding the truth after being so long in the dark and I thought the book ended too abruptly, I know we have a good idea of what happens after Ruby goes to Philadelphia but I would have liked to have read a bit more about it.

This is an excellent, absorbing read about loss, family and hope.

I loved Una Mannion’s debut, a Crooked Tree, so I jumped at the chance to read Tell Me What I Am.

There are some common themes between the two books (coming of age, poor parenting) but the settings feel different and the story is definitely unique. This, I’d describe as a back to front crime book. It’s Claustrophobic at times but snatches to another POV in time to keep you reading; Mannion’s skilled writing used very effectively.

This is a sensitive and moving story of a sister going missing, leaving behind a young, much loved daughter. Nessa is tormented by the need to find out what has happened to her sister. Meanwhile her niece Ruby cannot understand why her mother would desert her. We feel their heartbreak and bewilderment as every relationship is impacted by the one event that changed their lives for ever. Brilliantly written with very believable characters.

Tell Me What I Am by Una Mannion is an engrossing tale that requires a bit of thought as it jumps backwards and forwards across the years.

The book is about the disappearance of troubled woman Deena Garvey and the effect it has on her family,most notably sister Nessa. Deena's estranged,and abusive, partner Lucas inveigles custody of their 4 year-old daughter Ruby and takes her from Philadelphia to the wilds of rural Vermont to live with himself and his elderly mother..
As Ruby grows up she forgets her previous life but despite Lucas's best efforts it becomes obvious that she hasn't been forgotten.

This is a quite amazing piece of literary fiction with Ruby and Nessa separated by distance,and increasingly time,Nessa never giving up trying to tie the narcissistic Lucas to Deena's disappearance while Ruby is raised by him in an environment that he controls totally.
A book to savour and appreciate as well as enjoy.

This is such a powerful story of love and family. It kept me awake desperate to find out what had happened to affect them all so badly. It felt almost real like a news story.

Really enjoyed this. Was very realistic and relatable to today. Kept me hooked right to the end. To begin with I thought it was going to be something totally different so it took me by pleasant surprise.

When Deena Garvey disappears on her way to work, leaving behind her beloved four-year-old daughter, Ruby, her sister Nessa knows who is responsible. Deena had moved in with Nessa after being persuaded to leave her coercive and increasingly violent partner, Lucas. He takes Ruby away with him and his mother to the family home in a remote part of rural Vermont, denying Nessa any contact or visitation rights, and refusing to tell Ruby anything about her mother or her early life in Philadelphia. In some ways Ruby has a good life with Lucas- she learns about the natural world, how to hunt and sail, and after the authorities insist she must go to school, makes friends and grows up to be clever and resourceful. He, however, rules the household with a rod of iron, tracks her every move and his anger can erupt without warning. As Ruby matures, she begins to have fleeting memories of her mother and increasingly longs to know more about her, but has been forbidden to ever use the internet and has her mail intercepted by Lucas. Nessa, meanwhile, is haunted by grief and refuses to give up on the hope that she will one day be able to get justice for Deena and to be reunited with Ruby, This is a beautifully written novel with powerfully drawn characters, and is really about how love and family endures. The raw grief Nessa feels for the loss of her sister and niece reverberates throughout, and she is unable to accept and move on with her life without doing everything she can to ensure Ruby’s safety. Ruby’s is a coming-of-age story that illustrates that insistent, primal need to know where you have come from and who your parents are, and her struggles will break your heart. My only criticism is that I felt it ended rather abruptly- I wanted more details! A lovely, bittersweet read.

I've been reading 'Tell Me What I Am' by Una Mannion 📚

This book is chilling in its profile of a controlling, abusive partner, Lucas, and his total manipulation first of Deena and then of their daughter Ruby. All the red flags are there, madly flapping in the air, but he encourages a distance from others and they in turn choose to mind their own business and say nothing. The cost is paid by Deena and Ruby and it is devastating on them, their worlds made small, their choices curtailed and their every move monitored.

Spoiler alert 🚨
Deena goes missing without a trace and her sister, Nessa, suspects Lucas has something to do with this. While she tries to find out what happened to Deena, Lucas concentrates on his daughter and removes her to Vermont cutting off all contact with Nessa and her world up to that point.

The novel follows both Nessa and Ruby; Nessa in her inability to move on with her own life and Ruby in her quest to learn about her early life and her mother, not content that Lucas has been honest with her. She embarks on a search for an answer to the title question, 'Tell Me What I Am', that most fundamental of searches.

This is an excellent read and really shows the enemy living in plain sight just managing to evade detection by carefully orchestrating every move; frightening really 😬

🚩🚩🚩 Not to be ignored!

Thankyou netgalley for this book. I enjoyed the story. Had me hooked. The different characters were also interesting. Loved it

Thank you for allowing me to review this book. I enjoyed this story of Ruby and Nessa as they each searched for the missing Deena. Ruby lives with her father Lucas and Grandmother, Clover. She knows her mother disappeared when she was 2 years old. She has always felt different to her peers and her father doesn't answer her questions about her mother.
The story is written on different timelines and jumps between Ruby and Nessa. At times this was confusing but as you read more it falls into place. I was hooked early on, eager to know more. The characters are very well written and the isolated location was well described.

A quite unusual psychological thriller.
The book follows the story of Ruby who from the age of 4 goes to live with her very controlling father, Lucas, and his mother, Clover.. she is home schooled by her father until the authorities make her go to School. She is not allowed to know anything about her mother other than she disappeared. Her aunt however never gives up trying to find her to bring her home. I throughly enjoyed this book.

Deena and Nessa are very close. Two sisters, from a close knit Irish/Italian family who all live in Philadelphia. When Deena gets together with Lucas, both family and friends think she is moving too fast, and they are concerned with how Lucas treats Deena. When Ruby, their baby, comes along, everyone is enthralled by her and the relationship between Deena and Ruby is unbreakable. This makes the action that Deena takes unthinkable to her family.

It took a while for me to get into this story. Swift changes of timelines, and the style of writing took some getting used to. Plus the fact that the arc was very disjointed didn’t help. However, how glad am I that I persevered? A brilliantly told story, engrossing, with love, pain, heartbreak and darkness. The characterisation was excellent and the plot was moving and gently woven.

I look forward to rereading in its complete form on publication.

Thank you NetGalley.