Book Review: "Then She Was Gone" by Lisa Jewell

"When her children were small they'd sometimes say, 'What would you do if I died?' And she would reply, 'I would die too, because I could not live without you.' And then her child had died and she had found out that somehow, incredibly, she could live without her, that she had woken every morning for a hundred days, a thousand days, three thousand days and she had lived without her."

Ellie Mack was a golden child—beautiful, smart, popular. At 15, she was the apple of her family's eye, well-liked by all, with a handsome boyfriend and a life full of possibility waiting for her. Then one day, Ellie was supposed to go to the library and be home by lunchtime, but she never made it there, and she never returned.

For 10 years, Ellie's mother Laurel has held out a small sliver of hope that Ellie might have simply run away for some reason and she might come back, even though in her heart she knows her daughter is probably dead. This combination of despair and irrational hope has left Laurel's life a shambles, leading to the end of her marriage and straining her relationship with her two older children.

But when a discovery helps provide some answers, Laurel decides it is time to get her life back. She meets a handsome man, Floyd Dunn, in a neighborhood cafe, and for the first time in 10 years, she realizes she can live for herself. She is surprised at how quickly she and Floyd fall for each other, and how quickly their connection deepens into a real relationship, and before she knows it, she is even meeting his daughters and spending weekends at his home.

Laurel is immediately taken with Floyd's youngest daughter, Poppy, who is beautiful and wise beyond her years, truly an old soul. But Laurel cannot shake just how similar Poppy looks to Ellie, and how at times, when Poppy speaks, it is like she's in the same room with her daughter. As questions start to form in her mind about Floyd and what secrets he might be hiding, more and more her questions about Ellie's disappearance begin surfacing again. Did Ellie run away, or did she run into danger somehow? And why do Poppy and Ellie seem so similar?

I'll admit, I figured out the plot of Then She Was Gone fairly soon into the book. While it did detract a bit from my enjoyment of the book as the story continued to unfold, I was still captivated by the way Lisa Jewell teased out the suspense, making you wonder what surprises might pop up. Having never read any of Jewell's books before, I worried she might throw in some outrageous or melodramatic plot elements, and I was pleased that she didn't do that.

Jewell is a terrific storyteller, and I raced through this entire book on a flight. While I certainly would have loved a little more surprise, I still thought this was a captivating and compelling read, and if you like thrillers, you may very well enjoy this one.