Published by Viking on April 24, 2018
Format: eARC, Audiobook
Source: Net Galley, Library
Pages: 338
Amazon UK
Goodreads
Four missing days. Could you cope with not knowing?
Jen's 15-year-old daughter goes missing for four agonizing days.
When Lana is found, unharmed, in the middle of the desolate countryside, everyone thinks the worst is over. But Lana refuses to tell anyone what happened, and the police draw a blank.
The once-happy, loving family return to London, where things start to fall apart. Lana begins acting strangely: refusing to go to school, and sleeping with the light on.
As Lana stays stubbornly silent, Jen desperately tries to reach out to a daughter who has become a stranger.
Wow, this book is like no other that I have read.
The way it’s written, the style of the writing. It’s not even short chapters; it’s hard to explain it’s just like fleeting thoughts. Everything is a fleeting thought. Nothing is defined at all. I’m not quite sure how to describe it.
There was no ‘oh one more chapter’ because all the chapters were captioned to keep you reading and yearning for more information, just because of the way that Jen, our main character, thought. They just flitted in and out, in and out it would be one minute we were rifling through Lana’s room and then the next thing you know they’re talking about something completely different and then we go back to Lana’s room. It is literally a constant flow of thoughts in this book, and because of it, we have personal insight into everything.
We don’t know at this stage why Lana disappeared for four days. No one knows. Was it something supernatural? Or has she been taken? Or has she simply just disappeared? No one knows until Jen discovers the truth. And when Jen discovered the truth, I must admit my heart was in my throat I couldn’t believe what it was that had actually happened. I’m not going to lie, but it was really sad when you found out what occurred. I didn’t expect it.
I think that’s what it is you have to do with this book, expect the unexpected. As I say, it’s like nothing I’ve ever read before. It’s not my normal type of book. I don’t even remember requesting it from Net Galley. But I tell you, I’m so glad I’ve read this book.
There was just something a little bit special about this book and about Lana and about Jen. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Lana was a little brat. There were a few times I could have loved to have screamed at her to stop being so horrible, but I also got why she was the way she was. And Jen, yes, she was an overbearing mother. But again, you get why she is the way she is. And I think that’s what made this book a little bit heartbreaking. These people rely solely pretty much on each other, who block the world out. But when that starts to fall apart as in the case of Lana, you see, their worlds crumble, and it was really quite sad.
I think it’s quite a nice slow burner. It makes you think and it’s not one to fly through. I mean, it took me a few days to finish it. It’s a book to make you sit back and enjoy reading. I have to say I really enjoyed the way in which the author wrote the book, with these fleeting moments. Without all these really long dialogues and really drawn out descriptions. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy books like that, but it wouldn’t work here.
You’re literally in the action with Jen, as you experience what she is experiencing. You are in her head; you are in her world. You see what she sees; you feel what she feels, all in these fleeting moments. And I think that’s what made this a little bit special and a little bit different. For me, because I’ve not experienced a book like this before, not one where you are wholeheartedly immersed in the story with the main character and in their thoughts, I’m not explaining this very well. I mean, it’s hard to describe this book if you haven’t read it, but it’s definitely a book that you need to experience. This is not one that someone can sit here and tell you about. I could sit here until I’m blue in my face and tell you about this book and you still probably wouldn’t get what I’m trying to say. It’s something you need to experience for yourself, and when you do, it will be a different experience to me and everyone else.
I have everything I think I can say about this book. Healey is on my radar and I can’t wait to read her next offering.
Until next time xxx
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2022 Backlist Challenge
- 2022 NetGalley
- 2022 Reading
- Published before 2022
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