Book Review: Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

  Writing this review feels like writing a eulogy. As I begin to unfold my thoughts on my latest read, I cannot help but feel that I have just been sat down by a loved one and told a terrible family secret. I am sad; heartbroken even. Like I was led to believe something all my life, and then I have been cut down with the harshest of realities.

  I guess this eulogy would begin with this: In honor of Ellie Mack. A brave and resilient girl who, in the face of extreme terror, never forgot who she was and where she came from. To Ellie Mack, you are missed...    

  Then She Was Gone is written by Lisa Jewell, and published by Simon and Schuster under their Atria Books imprint. In it we are introduced to the Mack family and their matriarch, Laurel. They are ten years into suffering the loss of young Ellie Mack, who disappeared without a trace streets away from her home. The teenager was bright and headed for big things. She was loved by all and would never run away from home, as many believed she had. But ten years is a long time for mother to mourn the loss of a child. And after ten years Laurel Mack is shell of her former self. Divorced and living alone, she thinks of her daughter Ellie everyday, knowing deep down that she would never have run  away.

  Then one day, in a small cafe Laurel meets Floyd Dunn, a handsome author. After some time she becomes aware that she has not had the company of anyone in a while. As the days go by she becomes involved with Floyd, and she cannot be happier. Her remaining children barely talk to her. Her ex-husband has a family of his own. And her mother, Ruby, sits in an aged home awaiting her death. Laurel needs some happy. And Floyd makes her very happy. As she begins to get to know Floyd she meets his daughter SJ, who appears not be that impressed with daddy's new girlfriend. But it is his other daughter, Poppy, that takes Laurel's breath away. 

  Poppy is nine years old and she looks exactly like Laurel's missing daughter, Ellie, at that age.

   What could this possibly mean? Is she imagining the likeness? But a person from Laurel's past has become known to her once again. And with this person's return to the equation, Laurel's life is once again thrown into chaos. The events surrounding her daughter's disappearance are becoming more and more clear. But will Laurel be able to figure out the truth before it all comes crashing down?

  To say that this is a five star book would be putting it mildly. Then She Was Gone is a nesting doll of suspense, drama, and contains a mystery that is expertly told within five narratives. We are given a view into the events leading up to Ellie Mack's disappearance through back stories that come fast and furious. Each next chapter blends the past and present into a pot of narrative stew that is threatening to boil over with every turn of the page. Being that this was my first Lisa Jewel novel, I had no idea what to expect with her writing. Reviews of this book were mainly five stars, and when it was reviewed some of the writers were left with a shocked look on their face. And every reviewed read like a bullet train. 

  I sat reading and viewing these reviews, and I said to myself, 'What is so good about this book that reviewers are basically speechless?'. I found out as I read the last page with tears streaming down my face. The raw emotion and heart-sick feeling I had when I closed this book indeed left me speechless. I was given over three hundred pages of a story that was exhilarating, heartbreaking, and extremely visceral. There was a depth of character that each player had that made them feel as if they were standing before me telling their story. Then She Was Gone was a slow starter, then it revved up and burst forward with a story that I was not prepared for. Even as I sit here telling you my thoughts, I am still in the book, in the lives of these characters. And I feel that I will have a hard time shaking them from my thoughts.

  I read this book in part with the narration of actress, Helen Duff. Her smooth and often sultry voice handled several accents and characterizations brilliantly. From a nine year old girl to a forty-something man, Helen delivered it all evenly and with passion. Even when I was reading the novel sans audio book, I still heard her voice reading the story as I explored the book. She is definitely a favorite of mine for narrations, and I will definitely look into other novels that she has read.

  Coming out of this book I have to say that I am changed in many ways. I see things with new eyes and feel with a more open heart. I saw a family closed off and torn by tragedy. I saw their lack of communication and how they ignored each other's pain. If anything this book serves a beacon to those in pain. And it shows us that regardless of how much we suffer from loss, there can be a hope that can become something stronger. Even if one person just believes, then the story can change and be rife with promise. 

  I recommend this book highly and genuinely. I am not saying that it will not affect you. I am also not saying that you will not cry. Because in the end, Ellie's story is all of our stories. But from her we can learn that even one shaft of light in the darkness can lead to something good.        

  Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.


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  Because there is always time to read,
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