Review: Then She Was Gone

Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars






THEN
She was fifteen, her mother's
golden girl. She had her whole life ahead of her.
And then, in the blink of an eye, Ellie was gone.

NOW
It’s been ten years since Ellie
disappeared, but Laurel has never given up
hope of finding her daughter.
And then one day a charming and charismatic stranger called Floyd walks into a café and sweeps Laurel off her feet.
Before too long she’s staying the night at this house and being introduced to his nine year old daughter.
Poppy is precocious and pretty - and meeting her completely takes Laurel's breath away.

Because Poppy is the spitting image of Ellie when she was that age.
And now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.

What happened to Ellie? Where did she go?
Who still has secrets to hide?

I enjoyed this book but part way through it became very clear what had happened to the missing Ellie and I was initially disappointed that the book didn't keep me guessing. However, I didn't give up on it because I still enjoyed it, especially the way the characters are developed and how the author gives depth to them and the way they react to their circumstances. It's not just a what happened/who dunnit sort of book where often events just follow one after the other. Here you get the dynamics of a broken family and how they struggle to cope with a tragedy and work their way through it.

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