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A review by booksong
Gone by Lisa McMann
4.0
An interesting third novel, and an interesting approach to concluding this powerful and thought-provoking trilogy. As many other reviewers have said, McMann slows the pace way down, abandoning any detective plotlines or suspenseful thriller scenes. I was disappointed at first, but it actually seemed to work quite well, at least for me.
Here, Janie is taught the hard way that the most difficult and frightening problems to face have nothing to do with drugs or criminals; they are much closer to home. With the very core of her relationships being tested, Janie is forced to confront the bitter dilemma that being a dreamcatcher presents. Having such a painful choice to make opens up all kinds of tough, growth-inducing scenes that are, in their quieter way, as breathtakingly honest as the previous two novels. Perhaps that's the element I love most in McMann's trilogy; her simple, moving style that conveys everything in blunt sentences that nevertheless hold brutal truths and gut-deep emotion.
In the end, Janie's story comes to a close the same way; hopeful, bittersweet, and with a kind of candid realism that is amazingly refreshing. It felt totally true to the rest of the series, and therefore was a strong closing.
Here, Janie is taught the hard way that the most difficult and frightening problems to face have nothing to do with drugs or criminals; they are much closer to home. With the very core of her relationships being tested, Janie is forced to confront the bitter dilemma that being a dreamcatcher presents. Having such a painful choice to make opens up all kinds of tough, growth-inducing scenes that are, in their quieter way, as breathtakingly honest as the previous two novels. Perhaps that's the element I love most in McMann's trilogy; her simple, moving style that conveys everything in blunt sentences that nevertheless hold brutal truths and gut-deep emotion.
In the end, Janie's story comes to a close the same way; hopeful, bittersweet, and with a kind of candid realism that is amazingly refreshing. It felt totally true to the rest of the series, and therefore was a strong closing.