Saturday Suspense: Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

 

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons,

   

  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 only 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 a mother to mourn the loss of a child. And after ten years Laurel Mack is a shell of her former self. Divorced and living alone, she thinks of her daughter Ellie every day, 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. As she begins to get to know Floyd she meets his daughter SJ, who is 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.

  Then She Was Gone is a nesting doll of suspense and drama, and contained 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.  I was given over three hundred pages of a story that was exhilarating, heartbreaking, and extremely visceral.

  I read this book in part with the narration of actress, Helen Duff. She 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 audiobook, I still heard her voice reading the story as I explored the book. She is definitely a favorite of mine for narration, and I will definitely look into other novels that she has read.

  I recommend this five-star book highly for its brilliant storytelling and the way it made me care for the welfare of its characters. When a book leaves an impression on me, I know that I have witnessed something special.    

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