(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Eliza Fontaine has tried to commit suicide several times, so no one's all that surprised when her unconscious body is fished out of a hotel swimming pool.  When the 22-year-old comes to in the hospital, however, she claims she didn't try to kill herself this time.  Someone pushed her.  With no witnesses or security camera footage, there's nothing to prove her story true except her own memory.  It soon becomes clear, however, that her recollection is the last thing she can rely on.  With some major holes in her memory, Eliza's not sure what to believe.  

Things become even more confusing when Eliza's associates—her family, her agent, her editor, etc.—keep mixing up scenarios from Eliza's about-to-be-published debut novel with the events of her own life.  Her book is pure fiction.  Right?  The more perplexing her life gets, the more uncertain she becomes.  If she can't trust herself, who can she trust?  Will Eliza ever know what really happened the night she almost drowned?  Is someone trying to kill her or is her own damaged mind playing a cruel, cruel trick on her?

I'm still not quite sure what to think about The Elizas, a thriller by Sara Shepard.  It's an odd little tale with a heroine who's strangely intriguing but not all that likable.  Alternating between Eliza's story and chapters from her book, it's got a compelling setup, although I'm not sure it worked all that well in this particular novel.  The Elizas gets confusing and far-fetched, although it's also twisty and entertaining.  Overall, then, I'm kind of on the fence about this one.  On the whole, I found it to be just okay.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of The Weight of Lies by Emily Carpenter)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language, sexual content, violence, disturbing subject matter, and depictions of illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find