Reviews

“Kim Hooper’s debut novel, 'People Who Knew Me,' is not about the terrible events of 9/11 and how people reacted to them. It is instead a close and affecting study of how the choices we make, both the altruistic and the most selfish equally, expose life’s tragic truths... Refreshingly raw and honest, 'People Who Knew Me' invites us deep into the world of degenerative illness. Ms. Hooper captures the intimate details with edgy, dark humor... Written as a series of interwoven flashbacks, 'People Who Knew Me' has a sharp edge of emotional trauma and disappointment. It is very easy to love Emily—she is like any of us, struggling to make the best decisions she can. Ms. Hooper reminds us that control is an illusion, that the past offers no pardons and the choices we make, in turn, make us.”

―Jessica Lakso, Wall Street Journal

“Hooper's debut novel poses the evocative question, have you ever thought about what it would be like to start your life over? Emily Morris answers that question in the most extreme way possible. On 9/11, while the U.S. is experiencing its first wave of mass terror as the World Trade Towers collapse, Emily, who would have died if she had gone to work that day, makes the rash decision to let her family assume that she was killed so that she can disappear from her life for good. However, as she learns, such a selfish, desperate act rarely leaves the actor truly free, especially when there is a child involved. Readers will ponder Emily's difficult situation and often disturbing choices as they are glued to this compulsively readable tale. Hooper does not shy away from human nature's less attractive qualities but rather engages with them head on, asking ever more demanding questions: what must one sacrifice in a marriage? What does it take to care for someone who is chronically ill? What does it mean to love yourself?”

―Alison D. Spanner, Booklist

“Emily Morris married her college sweetheart, Drew. Like many young couples, they planned to live on love while they both went to graduate school. But life does not always turn out as planned. As they struggle with their professional lives and with Drew’s sick mother, their relationship becomes strained. Connie Prynne is a single mother living in California who has just received a devastating diagnosis of inflammatory breast cancer. With death as a probable outcome, Connie realizes she needs to stop hiding. For Connie is Emily. A pregnant Emily had planned to leave Drew, but then her lover died in the September 11 attacks. Since Emily worked in the World Trade Center, everyone thought she had died, too, and she lets them believe that lie. VERDICT While Emily’s choices may seem selfish to some, the author does a great job of making them believable in this debut. Emily is a flawed, relatable character. The structure of the book—alternating between Emily in the past and Connie in the present—helps readers see how the protagonist has grown. Warmly recommended for women’s fiction fans.”

―Lynnanne Pearson, Library Journal

"Kim Hooper’s 'People Who Knew Me' (St. Martin’s Press, NY) begins with a terrific, engaging and suspenseful first chapter, setting up the key questions in the book: Why does Emily Morris flee her life in New York to become Connie Prynne in California? And what will the consequences of her action be? Throughout this very readable debut novel, Hooper keeps up the tension and the pacing, teasing the reader as she reveals more and more details about Emily/Connie’s life before her decision to disappear, leaving friends and family to believe that she died when the Twin Towers fell on 9/11. Then Hooper creates a new challenge in her protagonist’s life fourteen years later in California: Connie is diagnosed with a potentially terminal disease, and must decide whether to tell her teenage daughter Claire the truth about her New York father, or let Claire continue to believe that he died in a car accident. Two diseases, Parkinson’s and breast cancer, are central to the plot and character development in 'People Who Knew Me.' Hooper’s searingly honest depiction of the challenges faced by those with these illnesses—and their caregivers—can make for uncomfortable reading at times. On the other hand, it is rare that a novelist is brave enough to provide such realistic scenarios, which makes the difficulties of her protagonist believable and ensures a thought-provoking read. Hooper is clearly a writer who wants to tell it like it is. As Connie notes, 'The looming thought of dying makes you take stock of who you are (or were). You ask yourself if you could have been a better, kinder person. It’s a pointless, masochistic question because, no matter who you are, the answer is always yes.' Not everyone will agree with the choices that Connie makes, but I’m sure everyone will want to find out what happens to her and her daughter, and will read to the end of this compelling book."

―Lynette Brasfield, Stu News Laguna