Then She Was Gone By Lisa Jewell
“Stories are the only thing in this world that are real. Everything else is just a dream.”
Synopsis:
Ellie Mack is beautiful, caring, intelligent, and according to her mother, the “ideal” daughter. On an average morning, Ellie heads to the library to study for her GCSE’s but never returns. No one expects Ellie to have run away, especially not her mother, Laurel Mack, who is determined to find out the mystery of Ellie’s disappearance.
After Laurel’s daughter goes missing, her life falls apart. Laurel pushes her loving husband into the arms of another woman, her son Jake moves away, and she has a tense relationship with her eldest child Hanna. Heartbroken and entirely consumed by the loss of Ellie, Laurel sabotages her connections with the only family that remains.
Ten years later, after new evidence emerges in the missing case of Ellie, Laurel realizes it’s time to move on. While having lunch in a cafe, Laurel meets Floyd, whose daughter, Poppy, looks unusually like Ellie. Floyd is charming, smart, and seems to be a perfect fit for Laurel. Poppy is equally charismatic, intelligent, and mature for her age. For the first time in ten years, Laurel is finally happy, but as her relationship with Floyd and his daughter deepens, Laurel is lead on an unusual mission to find out what happened to Ellie.
Review:
The novel is engaging, fast-paced, and was difficult for me to put down. In parts four and five, Jewell uses multiple perspectives while jumping between the past and present. The altering views are seamless and they don’t slow down the pace, especially as events unfold toward the end of the novel.
Characters are likable, and it’s easy to empathize with what Laurel and her family are going through. Although separated/divorced from her husband, Paul is still a loving and supportive force that creates an air of stability in Laurel’s life. Even the creepy characters have complex circumstances that display their damaged backgrounds. Essentially, Jewell creates characters that feel and act like real people, rather than just pawns in a story.
The family becomes an essential element within the narrative. Laurel is so busy over the disappearance of Ellie that she neglects the needs of her other two children, Jake and Hanna. Jake rarely speaks to his mom, and Hanna refuses to confide with her mother. A large portion of the plot deals with Laurel trying to reconnect with her children while still unraveling the mystery of Ellie’s disappearance. Laurel’s true realization comes through Poppy, who becomes an embodiment of love, compromise, understanding, and intrigue, necessary for familial bonding.
Overall, what mystery/thriller doesn’t have its fair share of obsession? I won’t say too much, but Jewell takes a common idea and spins it to form a realistic yet still creepy and dark perspective that questions the intentions behind horrendous acts of violence. Then She Was Gone is an enthralling story about love, obsession, and family, all filtered through the mysterious disappearance of 15-year old Ellie Mack.