There’s something dark inside Liz Kendall. It fought off her abusive ex-husband by taking control of her body and making Liz a helpless passenger. This dark thing would do anything to protect her family, including evict her from her own body, permanently. Does Liz have the strength to keep that from happening? In this follow-up to Fellside, M.R. Carey proves that his imagination let off the leash is a dangerous and powerful thing.

In Someone Like Me, Liz survived her abusive ex-husband’s latest assault by smashing a bottle of vinegar on the ground and stabbing him in the face with it, albeit involuntarily. While she’s initially grateful for whatever alternate personality took over her skin that night, a second outburst makes her question its nature. On the one hand, this alter-ego seems protective of her and her children. However, this other persona was violent and unpredictable. When Liz attempts to use guided meditation to make contact, she finds Beth, a disembodied version of herself from another life. Brutally murdered by an alternate version of her husband, who is the same violent serial abuser in every dimension, Beth is unmoored from reality, and bounces from life to life, trying to keep her husband from killing her, and until now has been unsuccessful. Her rewards for this? She wants Liz’ body, her kids, and her life. And she could take it. Where Liz is passive and docile, Beth is bold and aggressive—Beth kept her maiden name of Healey because, as she puts it, she’s ”not a doormat—” and a force unlike anything Liz can imagine. And the first thing Beth wants to do is remove her ex-husband from the picture, for good.

Carey is especially adept at painting tortured female protagonists. It was true with Jess Moulson in Fellside, and he does a bang-up job with Liz Kendall in Someone Like Me. The book’s themes are rooted in abuse and the scars it can leave behind, and the nature of victimhood and control. He questions the lengths someone would go to reclaim their identity and it’s a fascinating character study in that respect.

The biggest gripe I have is that the narrative can be mildly disjointed at times, especially considering the number of spotlighted characters dealing with some form of metaphysical stuff. It’s a minor flaw, but a good example is the chapter being told from the viewpoint of an anthropomorphic fox. There’s a level of crazy in this story that makes it difficult for a moment to suspend disbelief. Again, that’s me looking for a fault, and it’s a pretty flimsy one at that.

M.R. Carey continues to show his formidable talents in Someone Like Me, and has now done original and inventive takes on zombies, haunted houses, and possession stories. He has vaulted onto my list of authors whose name ensures an enjoyable read, and I can’t recommend him enough.

Pros: Strong female leads, inventive hook, strong primary antagonist

Cons: A touch hokey in some parts.

Rating: 8 of 10

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