Two Months, by Gail Schimmel

Imagine waking up one day and missing the last Two Months of your life? Well Erica does not need to imagine, because that’s exactly what happens to her one day in April.

What is Two Months about?

When Erica wakes up to discover that she can’t remember two months of her life, she wants to know what she’s missed. She soon realises that she’s lost more than two months. She’s lost her job and her friends. And her husband won’t tell her why. As Erica starts to put together the clues and pieces, a picture emerges of what has happened. A picture that is fatally flawed.

My thoughts

I was thrilled to see that Gail Schimmel had released another book, because, YAY for local authors doing all the things! Also, it was interesting to see Gail doing a domestic thriller, vs the family drama genre (The Accident).

Erica wakes up with this memory loss, a sore head and an evasive husband, Kenneth, by her side. One of my main annoyances with Erica’s character, was her willingness to be so non confrontational. I feel like if I woke up, with amnesia, I’d expect my husband to fill me in on absolutely everything. Though of course, this aspect, her not questioning Kenneth more, is part of the mystery that is central to the book.

Two Months is told in 3 timelines….the present, the beginning of the 2 months lost up to the present day, as well as the past, when Erica was still in school. I enjoyed the flashbacks as it gave us more insight into Erica, the incessant bullying she endured….and ultimately what shaped her as an adult. Also, those relationships actually are important in the ‘NOW’.

Body shaming

Erica was bullied and body shamed as a teenager and I know Gail was wanting to feature a protagonist who had weight issues, but who was not defined by it. In the now, I don’t think it added more to the story for her to be overweight, but definitely as a teenager, those issues are a big reason for who she is today. This shows how bullying can affect the self esteem for many years after the bullying took place.

Some critique?

I did find the book could have been a bit shorter, as there was quite a bit of repetition as Erica goes over what she knows. What she hopes to remember. The facts she’s pieced together. Of course if one suffered from amnesia, I am sure one would be pedantic about the repetition, so it could have been necessary to the story too.

My rating

Two Months has a Goodreads rating of 3.65 stars out of 5. I’m going to rate this 4 stars out of 5. Gail’s writing is really easy to read…it’s not over complicated or overly descriptive. It’s a book that you could easily read in one sitting. Also it was a page turner, because I needed to know what the big mystery was.

I did find the book a bit predictable, but I don’t think that I could piece together what ‘the predictable’ would lead to. Does that make sense? That ending though?? It was so twisted and wicked, and I really enjoyed the surprise of it all….. so I can’t rate this anything lower than 4 stars!

Want more from Gail Schimmel? Check out my review of The Accident over HERE.

Disclaimer: Two Months was sent to me by Pan Macmillan SA in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.