Reviews - Where They Last Saw Her

663 reviews for:

Where They Last Saw Her

Marcie R. Rendon

3.94 AVERAGE

monalyisha's review against another edition

3.75

adventurous challenging dark emotional informative mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Just a few chapters in, I texted a friend in my book club and lamented, bluntly, “I don’t like our book.” The fact that I came around is a surprise to me!

I never did come around to Rendon’s writing style, however. Her short, declarative sentences are not my cup of coffee (nor are they my peanut butter cookies). More variation of sentence structure would’ve gone a long way.

Quill, the MC, made me want to tear my hair out. The choices she made felt so reckless and irresponsible. When Crow, her husband, finally reacted in the appropriate manner, I nearly cheered. Still, Rendon made her intentions and motivations clear at every step (or pound of her feet on the path).

The mystery portion of the story wasn’t really a mystery. You’re never left wondering what’s happening to the disappearing women. It’s obvious. But that’s the point. It IS obvious. The Author’s Note includes information about Highway 16 in BC, known as the Highway of Tears “because so many First Nations women have disappeared from or been found murdered there.”

Official reports put the number at 1,181 missing or murdered Indigenous women and girls between 1980 & 2012. “Indigenous groups estimate the number to be closer to 4,000.” Rendon places the blame squarely where it belongs: “The “man camps” that spring up to provide temporary housing for the labor that arrives to work for extractive industries such as mining operations and oil pipelines create an environment that fuels…atrocities….Native women and children are targeted because the men who occupy these camps know that local law enforcement agencies will not have the resources to stop them or to prosecute them, often because of legal conflicts that exist between tribal, state, and federal criminal jurisdictions.”

Ultimately, what saved this book for me wasn’t just its message and powerful outcry (though that’s undeniably a big part of it). The saving grace is in the smallest details: the gift of a red ribbon skirt by the village elders; the final resting place of Mabel’s beadwork earring.

If I’d chosen to read this on my own, I think I would’ve stopped a few chapters in. I’m glad I didn’t. I need to be reminded, sometimes, that lyrical writing isn’t *everything.*

Content Warnings

jwcavins's review against another edition

4.0

dark emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

acooke09's review against another edition

4.5

challenging hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

ginch's review against another edition

5.0

challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

vwlv's review against another edition

3.0

dark reflective sad fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

Content Warnings

kristenreadswhat's review against another edition

4.0

Location: Minnesota

Representation: Indigenous cast

Content warnings: kidnapping; trafficking; sexual assault; domestic / physical / emotional abuse; gu violence; murder; rape; racism; and more

Quick review: While this one wasn't super twisty, I really enjoyed it and was hooked from the early pages. I loved Quill's determination to find the missing woman while protecting her own family, and I loved the running aspect & how the community rallied together.