There was none of the usual traffic leading to the Holland Tunnel. We drove right in. I closed my eyes, like I used to as a kid, making wishes in the darkness. As I said good-bye to New York, my only wish was for everyone I left behind to forget me. Emily recreates herself and has the baby in California. Life is going well until she gets cancer. Now, this is when the novel is in full bloom as it makes the reader realize all the stupid things well-intentioned people say to cancer sufferers. This is when the novel illuminates “what NOT to say or do to a cancer person.” Hooper writes the feelings of Emily (now Connie) so beautifully that one cannot feel the strains and pain of living with cancer and being the sole supporter of a teenage girl.

Don't think for a minute this is all the novel explores. Holy moly, there is so much more. The choices we make, the consequences that follow. What's the "right" thing to do? It's really hard to believe this is the authors first book! I want more! (4.5 stars) Additional thanks to: Emily Peska, Caitlin Stegemoller, Sam Woolf, Charly Clive, Ellie White, Ellen Robertson, Kate Phillips, Ed Davis, Ciarán Owens, Jonathan Schey, Daniel Raggett, Jason Phipps and Charlotte Ritchie Kyle Soller at the launch event for Andor at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. Jesse Grant/Getty Images for DisneyEmily does not have a close relationship with her mother. How do you think her upbringing shapes her character and relationships? How does it influence the way she mothers Claire? The story is told by Emily, an admittedly flawed human who some readers may not like. But Emily has found herself in a tough life and really has no option but to live the life of a martyr, or live the life of a complete asshole. Enter 9/11. What would you have done? I don't think I would do as Emily did, but I don't dare judge the decision she made - no one should until you've walked in those particular shoes. The first audio drama from the makers of Bad Sisters, People Who Knew Me is a 10-part series, written and directed by Daniella Isaacs, adapted from the book by Kim Hooper, starring Rosamund Pike (I Care A Lot, Gone Girl), Hugh Laurie (House, The Night Manager), Isabella Sermon (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), Kyle Soller (Andor, Poldark), Alfred Enoch (Harry Potter), Daniella Isaacs (Fleabag, Ladhood), and Jessica Darrow (Encanto).

Change the plan you will roll onto at any time during your trial by visiting the “Settings & Account” section. What happens at the end of my trial? Daniella Isaacs (Writer, Director and actor) says: “I was excited by the challenge of bringing new listeners, people that might usually reach for a tv show or a non-fiction podcast, to an audio drama. I wanted to adapt the book into something that played into the inherent confessional quality of the audio medium. There’s something thrilling about being privy to a character’s innermost secrets, their confessions and their selfish desires. I loved making this with such a brilliant team - all of us set on reimagining the traditional radio play… And I hope your ears enjoy it too.” Unfortunately, that piece wasn’t a big part of the novel. In fact, if I were to criticize author Kim Hooper, it would be in the way she glossed over how Emily was able to get a job, get paid, get insurance, etc. The title of the book, PEOPLE WHO KNEW ME, references the life Connie left behind in New York. How do those people “follow” Connie to California?But fourteen years later, a life-threatening diagnosis forces her to deal with the legacy of what she left behind. People Who Knew Me tells the story of a woman, Emily Morris, voiced by Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe & Emmy winner Rosamund Pike, who uses 9/11 to fake her own death and run away to start a new life in California as Connie Prynne. She must decide how to explain her lies, her secrets, her selfish decisions - and ultimately, her ‘widowed’ husband. Everything she thought she had fled from when she pretended to die in New York. You may change or cancel your subscription or trial at any time online. Simply log into Settings & Account and select "Cancel" on the right-hand side. Do you see Emily’s decision to flee New York after 9/11 as impulsive? Or does it just become the unexpected final part of an escape she’s been contemplating for some time?

I was delighted when Hugh wanted to do it. He’s always been a face I’ve known and obviously House is where he perfected his brilliant American accent. On screen, you could’ve been distracted by the fact that it’s Hugh Laurie, but as a voice, you just accept it. He becomes the character. Someone’s fame doesn’t get in the way with audio. I really enjoyed this book (if enjoyment can be defined by how often I start considering ways to read when I really can't or shouldn't – like driving (don't worry, I didn't)). Meanwhile in present day California Connie’s built her life around her daughter Claire who’s approaching her 14th birthday. Claire believes her father died and the pair are close and happy until a cancer diagnosis blows their world apart.This terrific book will be released in May, 2016. I was fortunate to win an advance copy in a Goodreads giveaway.