Title: Then She Was Gone
Author: Lisa Jewell
Published: July 27th 2017
Publisher: Penguin Books Australia
Pages: 448
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Crime, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
RRP: $22.99
Rating: 5 stars
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.
Ten years on, Laurel has never given up hope of finding Ellie. And then she meets a charming and charismatic stranger who sweeps her off her feet.
But what really takes her breath away is when she meets his nine-year-old daughter.
Because his daughter is the image of Ellie.
Now all those unanswered questions that have haunted Laurel come flooding back.
What really happened to Ellie? And who still has secrets to hide?
Review:
From the author of I Found You comes Then She Was Gone, a 2017 published title from Lisa Jewell. Known for her twisted domestic suspense tales, Then She Was Gone is a book that showcases Jewell’s innate capacity to write quality domestic noir narratives. This backlist Lisa Jewell title was a sensational read.
Ellie is a teenager who has a bright future. However, in a cruel twist of fate, Ellie disappears and is never seen again. Ellie’s mother Laurel is devastated as Ellie was the apple in her eye. After a decade of despair, Laurel continues to look for Ellie. Laurel vows to never give up on locating her daughter until she is eventually returned to her. But life has other plans for Laurel and when she meets a man named Floyd by pure chance, she is finally able to focus on something other than Ellie. As Laurel develops a relationship with Floyd she is introduced to his family. Floyd’s young daughter Poppy bears a strong resemblance to her lost daughter Ellie. Everything about her is familiar and now the past that she kept locked away comes to the surface. Will Laurel finally find out what happened to her lost daughter?
With over ten books to her name, Lisa Jewell needs no big introduction. I have recently embarked on a Lisa Jewell reading binge which was sparked by my absolute adoration for this British author’s latest novel. After searching through my crowded bookshelves I retrieved Then She Was Gone from its hiding place. Over the course of just a day I whipped through this 2017 release. It was utterly captivating!
Missing children, especially teenagers, are always some of my favourite domestic thriller set-ups. Then She Was Gone takes the case of a missing fifteen-year-old girl and pulls this trying situation apart. We follow a riveting ‘then’ and ‘now’ gradual release narrative that reveals various clues as to what happened to the missing teen in this story. The narrative also tracks the girl’s mother Laurel as she navigates a new relationship while grappling with some new information about her daughter’s disappearance. I loved this back-and-forth style story progression. It really pulled me under and it wouldn’t let me go, no matter how hard I tried. Short chapters encourage us to read on and get further into the trouble of Ellie’s disappearance. I must say I wasn’t able to develop a clear theory, or solve this one easily at all. Jewell is such a clever and manipulative storyteller.
The characters in Then She Was Gone are fortified with many elements including trust issues, heartbreak, trauma, relationship problems and more. There are more than a few secrets and hidden truths, which ensures that the reader stays true to this one until the end. There are a few dark themes, so be aware if you have any triggers with abuse, pregnancy loss, infertility, loneliness and neglect. There are moments of sadness and desperation in this novel, which seemed to highlight to me that mental health is a big factor in the events of this consuming tale.
Then She Was Gone is a spectral thriller with some very chilly characters and unsettling behaviours. I loved this classic Lisa Jewell thriller!
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell was published on 27th July 2017 by Penguin Books Australia. Details on how to purchase the book can be found here.
To learn more about the author of Then She Was Gone, Lisa Jewell, visit here.
