Review
I enjoyed this as an audiobook a few years ago, when my child was very small and it was useful to have things to listen to so that I could walk around the park repetitively, or the flat, etc., etc.
While this novel eventually gets to the whodunnit and whatdun of the apparent crime (the kidnapping of 13-year-old Julie from her family home), the primary focus is on the long, slow aftershocks of the disappearance on the family. Julie’s sister, Jane, witnessed her knife-point abduction and lives with that awful image. Her mother, Anna, longs for Julie’s return and is suspicious of the woman who appears after 8 years claiming to be her missing daughter.
I enjoyed the alternating timelines to unfold maybe-Julie’s past as well as the experiences of the Whitakers, in turns generously open and warily careful. It explores subtly the fact that any story we tell, whether wholly or only partially true, requires omissions. Things must be left out because they don’t feel that they fit neatly, even if they happened; they might make our audience less sympathetic, derail a clear message, or confuse us and our listeners, and so we will leave them out, and in the process put up a barrier between us and them. There always needs to be multiple versions of events. Connection happens cautiously, contingently, across those gaps.
While Julie’s reconciliation with her family is the main thrust of the narrative, I also particularly enjoyed the brief plot put in place around Julie’s abductor. It has a horrifying ring of truth about their conduct and how punishment does (or does not) come to people who mistreat others. This part of the story feels even more worth reflecting on now, almost ten years on, as we go through Trump 2.0.
See also
These lists capture other stories and characters that I thought of as I was reading this piece. I won’t explain why, to avoid spoilers, but they’re associations and not ‘if you liked this, then you’ll love…’ recommendations!
- Back (TV series)
- We Need to Talk About Kevin (Lionel Shriver)
Take a look at my short story collection featuring Victorian “lady detective” Meinir Davies; order now! Or check out my academic work about detective and crime fiction (free PDFs available) right here.
Dominique Gracia 
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