“Today, the police are at your door.

They say that the body of your husband’s mistress has been found in the River Cam. They think your husband killed her two days ago.

You can’t recall what he did that day, because you only remember yesterday.

You rely on your diary to tell you where you’ve been, who you love and what you’ve done.

So, can you trust the police?
Can you trust your husband?
Can you trust yourself?”

Hello and welcome to the blog! I have a brand new review to share with you today and it’s for Yesterday by Felicia Yap. Yesterday was published by Wildfire Books on 12th July 2018 and is available in all formats. I chose to read and review an eARC of Yesterday but that has in no way influenced my review.

Well this little beauty gave me a lot more than I was bargaining for! First thing to say is that Yesterday would make a cracking book club read (having absolutely no experience, or real knowledge, of book clubs myself!). It raises so many interesting and thought-provoking questions. A very compelling mystery from start to finish.

Claire Evans is a Mono. She and her husband, Mark, live in a world where memories don’t last. You can either remember just yesterday, like Claire, or if you’re like Mark and a Duo, you can remember two days ago. The rest of society is the same as the Evans’. They’re nothing special. Humankind has no memory. Every day they record that day’s events in their electronic diary. They learn ‘Facts’ to make sure some things are never forgotten. Duos are superior. Monos are treated as inferior. Their brains aren’t as advanced as the Duos. That’s just life.

One day a woman is found drowned in the River Cam. Before long the Police are on the Evans’ doorstep asking Mark questions, as the woman, it turns out, was his lover. Claire is devastated. There has always been a divide between them. Not helped by the fact he’s a Duo and she’s a Mono. Mixed marriages aren’t the norm. The lead Detective, Hans Richardson, has Mark pegged as the prime suspect. Now all he has to do is prove it. But how can Claire help her husband and prove he’s innocent when she really can’t remember…

I thoroughly enjoyed Yesterday. It was a fascinating read which hooked me in from early on and didn’t let go until the final word. I was expecting a novel about a woman who perhaps, because of trauma or a medical condition, had a memory issue. What I got was a gripping mystery set in a different world where discrimination is rife and every character you meet is most definitely an unreliable narrator. I enjoyed the amount of thought and attention to detail Yap has put into her ‘world’. The affect a very short memory has on the characters is utterly fascinating. I enjoyed seeing what they believed life would be like if you *could* remember everything that has happened to you throughout your life. How none of them would wish a full memory on not even their worst enemy. The devastation, destruction and the growth of evil such a thing could create, to them, was unimaginable.

I enjoyed spending time with Hans Richardson as he attempted to solve the case of the woman’s murder in one day. It’s not the most surprising of outcomes but there are a few twists in the tale along the way. The final twist felt a little (a teeny, tiny, smidge-like) too far-fetched for me but if you can’t break the boundaries in fiction, when can you?

Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. Yesterday gave me so much more than I was expecting and I really enjoyed it. The discrimination shown to the Mono race had my blood boiling at times and I wanted to chuck my Kindle across the room. A well-written, imaginative, emotive, character-driven novel which made me think. I would certainly read more by this author. Recommended.

I chose to read and review an eARC of Yesterday. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.

Yesterday by Felicia Yap was published in the UK by Wildfire Books on 12th July 2018 and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio and digital formats (please note, the following links are affiliate links which means I receive a small percentage of the purchase price at no extra cost to you): | amazon.co.uk | Waterstones | Foyles | Book Depository | Goodreads |

Felicia Yap is the author of Future Perfect (published spring 2021) and Yesterday. She has been a cell biologist, a war historian, a university lecturer, a technology journalist, a theatre critic, a flea-market trader and a catwalk model. Facebook, Twitter & Instagram: @FeliciaMYap