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A review by resareads
The Next Time You See Me by Holly Goddard Jones
4.0
I recieved this book free from the publisher through Goodreads Giveaway program and I have to say this book really exceeded my expectations for it. As a debut novel I thought it would be good but rough, lacking the polish more experienced mystery writers have. But I was wrong. Jones writes her murder like a pro, weaving characters' stories throughout each chapter in a way that keeps you guessing as well as interested.
The novel has four main threads. The first is the story of Emily Houchens, the class "weird girl" who everyone makes fun of, but then it goes beyond that as the popular clique moves to outright hostility. But Emily bares it bravely, as she continues to go to school even though she knows she will be ostracized, mostly because she has a crush on the most popular boy in her class. Then Emily finds a body in the woods behind her house, and things start to change. The body becomes Emily's obsession. And her secret.
The second thread follows that of Susanna Mitchell, a Roma native who did everything the right way. She played by the rules, went to college only to come back and teach at the Roma middle school, and married young. Susanna is a dutiful wife and passionate teacher. The only problem with her pefect life is that she isn't happy, she's fallen out of love with her husband, and she's sick of the people in her small town. When Susanna's sister Ronnie goes missing she's the only one who cares.
The third thread follows that of factory worker Wyatt who has contented himself with a life alone, going to work, coming home, and spending quality time with his dog. Wyatt's life is uncomplicated, simple, the way he wants it to be. Wyatt prefers to take pleasure in thinking about the things that make other people happy than going out and getting happy himself. Then Wyatt has a heart-attack and everything starts to change.
The final thread is that of Ronnie, the bar hopping, former drug-addict sister of Susanna who is missing from page one. She is the driving force of the novel and the only thing that ties these three characters together.
Jones handles these mutliple story lines with ease, no one thread begins to outweigh the others, all of them are given equal importance, a balance that is difficult to find in many novels that try this technique. Jones also manages to weave more than mystery into her story. She manages a realistic coming-of-age story through Emily's voice and experiences without the nicely wrapped up ending that is becoming the norm for many YA stories. In fact, Emily's story is almost painfully realistic, as Jones makes the reader wonder if they would embrace Emily with open arms or turn their head so as to not get involved. Susanna and Wyatt's thread give us a more adult coming-of-age novel as attention is called to the fact that even adults don't have everything figured out.
All set to the background of a small town where everyone knows everyone (past, present, and presumed future) Jones has created a heartfelt mystery that gives you more than just a murder.
The novel has four main threads. The first is the story of Emily Houchens, the class "weird girl" who everyone makes fun of, but then it goes beyond that as the popular clique moves to outright hostility. But Emily bares it bravely, as she continues to go to school even though she knows she will be ostracized, mostly because she has a crush on the most popular boy in her class. Then Emily finds a body in the woods behind her house, and things start to change. The body becomes Emily's obsession. And her secret.
The second thread follows that of Susanna Mitchell, a Roma native who did everything the right way. She played by the rules, went to college only to come back and teach at the Roma middle school, and married young. Susanna is a dutiful wife and passionate teacher. The only problem with her pefect life is that she isn't happy, she's fallen out of love with her husband, and she's sick of the people in her small town. When Susanna's sister Ronnie goes missing she's the only one who cares.
The third thread follows that of factory worker Wyatt who has contented himself with a life alone, going to work, coming home, and spending quality time with his dog. Wyatt's life is uncomplicated, simple, the way he wants it to be. Wyatt prefers to take pleasure in thinking about the things that make other people happy than going out and getting happy himself. Then Wyatt has a heart-attack and everything starts to change.
The final thread is that of Ronnie, the bar hopping, former drug-addict sister of Susanna who is missing from page one. She is the driving force of the novel and the only thing that ties these three characters together.
Jones handles these mutliple story lines with ease, no one thread begins to outweigh the others, all of them are given equal importance, a balance that is difficult to find in many novels that try this technique. Jones also manages to weave more than mystery into her story. She manages a realistic coming-of-age story through Emily's voice and experiences without the nicely wrapped up ending that is becoming the norm for many YA stories. In fact, Emily's story is almost painfully realistic, as Jones makes the reader wonder if they would embrace Emily with open arms or turn their head so as to not get involved. Susanna and Wyatt's thread give us a more adult coming-of-age novel as attention is called to the fact that even adults don't have everything figured out.
All set to the background of a small town where everyone knows everyone (past, present, and presumed future) Jones has created a heartfelt mystery that gives you more than just a murder.