I Dreamed of Falling

By Julia Dahl

What it’s about?

‘A blistering mystery. With I Dreamed of Falling, Julia Dahl proves she’s simply one of the best thriller writers working today’ Gillian Flynn

‘A riveting crime novel… Vivid and haunting and not to be missed’ Megan Abbott

Roman Grady is the sole reporter for the local newspaper in a tiny Hudson Valley town – a town so small that every store opening is considered newsworthy. But when Roman’s longtime girlfriend Ashley, the mother of his four-year-old son, is found dead, he realises he had no idea what was really going on in her life.

And when he starts asking questions, he’s not prepared for the answers.

What was Ashley doing at the cliffside home of her troubled ex-girlfriend? How did no one in a house full of people see what happened to her? And why does it seem like everyone in town suddenly has something to hide? As Roman and his mother dig into Ashley’s last few months, the truths they uncover threaten to expose painful secrets. The kind of secrets that can get you killed.

What I think:

This is a slow burn mystery that gave me Mare of Easttown vibes.

Set in a small town, where people know each other, there are still a lot of secrets buried.

Main character, Roman is the journalist for the town’s newspaper. His own life comes under the microscope when his girlfriend, and the mother of his four year old son, Mason, goes missing. Ashley’s body is found on riverside rocks at the home of her friend Bella. It’s unclear whether her death is accidental, suicide or even murder.

This is definitely a story about sex, drugs and secrets.

Roman and Ashley have a long and complicated relationship. Despite being together since school, their relationship is open and they have both had sexual relationships with other people. There’s are a lot of drug taking which is all casual and accepted.

The mystery of Ashley’s death doesn’t really get going until nearly halfway through the book. There are a lot of characters and lots of backstory. Ashley was pregnant during the pandemic so there are a lot of Covid mentions – to be honest this is something I generally avoid in books so I did skim some of these.

This is gritty and dark. Definitely small town America at its most real and depressing. There’s a lot of bad parenting and generation trauma to unpick alongside the mystery.

If you like messy domestic drama with complex characters then you will definitely enjoy this.

Thank you to Bedford Square for my gifted digital copy and to Tracy at Compulsive Readers Blog tours for inviting me to be a part of this blog tour.