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philippakmoore's review against another edition
4.0
An evocative and compelling family drama that centres around the disappearance of teenager Rose and how her family are coping with it 20 years later. No one knows what happened to Rose - was she kidnapped, murdered, or did she just run away? Either way, she simply vanished that Wednesday afternoon and no one has seen or heard from her since.
Twenty years on, Rose's sister Anna feels restless in her life in London, unable to settle despite being with a man who loves her and the offer of a steady job on the horizon, and feels moved to finally find out what happened to Rose. However, once she starts searching, a web of family secrets start unravelling.
I really enjoyed reading this. The characters are well drawn and believable, all of them with realistic flaws and personality traits. They are complicated people and not all of them are likeable, but you do get caught up in their stories. The various timelines work well. I particularly enjoyed Sandra's storyline in the 1960s...it was very evocative and realistic, and parts of it were truly heartbreaking.
Written with a fine eye for detail and skilful handling of the various layers of the plot, this is a great family drama with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of the book.
Twenty years on, Rose's sister Anna feels restless in her life in London, unable to settle despite being with a man who loves her and the offer of a steady job on the horizon, and feels moved to finally find out what happened to Rose. However, once she starts searching, a web of family secrets start unravelling.
I really enjoyed reading this. The characters are well drawn and believable, all of them with realistic flaws and personality traits. They are complicated people and not all of them are likeable, but you do get caught up in their stories. The various timelines work well. I particularly enjoyed Sandra's storyline in the 1960s...it was very evocative and realistic, and parts of it were truly heartbreaking.
Written with a fine eye for detail and skilful handling of the various layers of the plot, this is a great family drama with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing.
Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of the book.
kjnreads's review against another edition
3.0
I received this book as a review copy via NetGalley.
I quite liked this book a s I like family stories. The plot kept me guessing all the way through and I read the last 50% on a 5 hour plane trip, so it passes the "foes it hold my attention" test!
I quite liked this book a s I like family stories. The plot kept me guessing all the way through and I read the last 50% on a 5 hour plane trip, so it passes the "foes it hold my attention" test!
writesofluid's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed the characterisation in this book - both Anna and her mother are still feeling the effects from their pasts and the tension that comes about through this is brilliant. Rose's disappearance remains a captivating mystery up until the climax, with both Anna and her mother each breaking down in the run up; Anna regarding her relationship and her mother regarding her sanity. The only criticism I have is that Rose's character, and the outcome, left questions unanswered. Though it's quite easy to brush bad memories under the carpet, I was disappointed that the outcome in this case remained "cold" and devoid of the sort of emotions you might expect. Yet, despite being a disappointment for me subjectively, this doesn't mean that the outcome is negative plot or character-wise; as I say, it's perfectly valid and really makes you think.
magicalbertie's review
2.0
Eh. I think it needed a more thorough edit. All the characters were annoying and the story was so slow then everything was just dumped on you at the end.
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