Publication date March 2020/ Publisher Random House
Synopsis
The eccentric, infamous and exceedingly wealthy romantic novelist Cassandra Tipp has vanished.
But she has left behind what seems to be a letter. Everyone knows Cassie has twice been accused of murder. Her family have long been convinced of her guilt. Could this be her confession? Or her last will and testament?
It turns out to be not quite what anyone expected. For the letter recounts two extraordinary, darkly disturbing stories.
One is the story of bloody nights and magical gifts, of children lost to the woods, of husbands made from twigs and leaves and sticks and stones . . .
The other is the story of a little girl who was cruelly treated and who grew crooked in the shadows . . .
But which story should we believe? Both stories might be true. Both stories end in murder.
And where is Cassie now? Dead in a ditch, or gone from this world . . . and into another?
**********
Review
Bruce opens her novel with an immediate info dump thinly disguised as a newspaper article. I had to begin by reading this through twice to settle the main characters back story in my mind.
As I progressed I found the Pepper Man to be a fascinating character and his relationship with Cassie is the most complicated I’ve ever read.
My opinions on Cassie swung wildly throughout the novel. She was helpless, innocent, cruel, obstinate, intelligent, naive, selfish but protective. To be honest I don’t know how I felt! Pity was probably my strongest emotion.
Brother Ferdinand seemed more like a plot device than a full fledged character, I’d like to have read more of him. Mara and Mother were both well imagined, their relationships with Cassie give the reader good insight into our MC- she is all that really matters in this novel, Cassie. This is Cassie’s story after all.
The descriptions of faerie were vivid and well written, my favourite parts of You Let Me In were the world building and time spent with the fae.
Told via articles, book excerpts and a letter written to (the reader) Cassie’s niece and nephew, You Let Me in tells two sides of the same story- it’s mostly left to us to read between the lines. You won’t find the answer in this book, you choose your own.
Will you believe in the Pepper-Man?
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An Average Life 
Sounds like a fascinating book. I think the open-ended ending might drive me nuts, though!
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