BOOK: You Remind Me Of Me by Dan Chaon

Title: You Remind Me Of Me
Author: Dan Chaon
Genre: Drama (?)
Rating: 8/10

Synopsis (copied from cover)
Jonah Doyle and Troy Timmens don't know each other, yet they have a deep connection that is gradually revealed over the course of this spellbinding novel. After a terrible accident transforms Jonah's life, he sets out on an extraordinary journey across America in search of his familiy, his identity and the secrets buried in his past. When Jonah and Troy finally meet, their lives will never be the same again.

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Spoilerfree (and therefore somewhat cryptic review)
The book explores three very important questions: Why do we become the people that we become? How do we end up stuck in lives that we never wanted? And can we change the course of what seems inevitable?

Told in out-of-order snippets of thirty-something Jonah's and eventually Troy's life, it took me some time to put all the pieces of the story together. But once I got used to the style, I liked trying to figure things out before the characters did. I had to know what happened and happens to Jonah. He is lost in memories and thoughts and tries very hard to make sense of (his) life. It was almost painful to join him on his journey. I loved how he imagines his life being filmed and thus sets the scenes of the story with different camera-angles. I sympathised with him, but once I figured out where he was going, he started to creep me out.

Troy's life is a mess, but he seems to be in control, despite not knowing what Jonah's intensions are. I didn't really like him at the start, but while my understanding for Jonah faded, I learned to appreciate Troy more and more.

The characters and their environment are very different from me; they are American men with simple jobs. I don't use drugs, nor do I have a truely screwed up family, but I could relate to Troy's dismissal of people and Jonah's inability to communicate. So I learned you can find something in common with the most unusual people. That's what made me like this book. A lot.