Scan barcode
A review by afterplague
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
I was in a bit of a reading slump when this book came in from my library, and I’m so grateful that it was good enough to pull me out of the slump. I really enjoyed None of This Is True, and I also gave it four stars, so I think that means Lisa Jewell is a pretty solid bet for me right now!
Then She Was Gone is about Laurel, a woman whose daughter went missing ten years prior. Ellie was a very smart, very beautiful girl who never really got in trouble, but when no evidence arises from her case, it’s assumed that she was simply a runaway who never returned home. Laurel is finally able to begin moving on with her life when remains are found that are identified as Ellie’s. She meets a charming man named Floyd who has a nine year old daughter who looks extremely like Ellie.
I think this book is… really predictable in some ways. I don’t really think that’s a bad thing in a thriller necessarily. Sometimes I just need to read something easy, and this fit the bill perfectly. The writing style is really quick, and it keeps the story moving at an excellent pace. So, it doesn’t really matter that I immediately knew what happened to Ellie. I knew what Poppy’s deal was.
That’s not to say that the details of how everything played out weren’t interesting. I especially liked seeing the events unfold from different perspectives. We were able to get deeper into Noelle’s head or Floyd’s head and see how their backgrounds and experiences affected the way they thought and the actions they took. I also found them distinct from Laurel’s perspective.
I do think there was the insinuation of a further mystery with Poppy that remained a little unresolved. Why was she so isolated from her family? Why was she homeschooled? Why was she so, for lack of a better word, weird? I was expecting more of a confession from Floyd on that point, but it wasn’t really important in the end. I think Poppy was just weird to create a bit of discomfort in the reader. There were other small things that didn’t really matter, like SJ’s boyfriend. There was just a bit of unnecessary fat that could be trimmed.
I liked the characters well enough. Laurel is a compelling character who evolves and grows over the course of the story, and it was nice to see her reconnecting and rebuilding her family after a devastating loss. Floyd plays his part well as the “too good to be true” new boyfriend. He was just suspicious enough to be interesting, but not so much so that he became an unrealistic character. I surprisingly also really appreciated the ex-husband Paul. It was a refreshing take on this kind of dynamic because of the lack of bitterness and blame after their separation. Noelle, too, had some depth to her that created a more interesting story than what was on the surface.
I was a little surprised with how sad the story concluded. I never really believed that the remains found were Ellie’s, but I was really surprised how that ended up. I still think it was a good ending, but definitely sad.
I would recommend Then She Was Gone if you don’t mind a thriller that’s not particularly twisty. It’s an easy read, and I enjoyed it!
Then She Was Gone is about Laurel, a woman whose daughter went missing ten years prior. Ellie was a very smart, very beautiful girl who never really got in trouble, but when no evidence arises from her case, it’s assumed that she was simply a runaway who never returned home. Laurel is finally able to begin moving on with her life when remains are found that are identified as Ellie’s. She meets a charming man named Floyd who has a nine year old daughter who looks extremely like Ellie.
I think this book is… really predictable in some ways. I don’t really think that’s a bad thing in a thriller necessarily. Sometimes I just need to read something easy, and this fit the bill perfectly. The writing style is really quick, and it keeps the story moving at an excellent pace. So, it doesn’t really matter that I immediately knew what happened to Ellie. I knew what Poppy’s deal was.
That’s not to say that the details of how everything played out weren’t interesting. I especially liked seeing the events unfold from different perspectives. We were able to get deeper into Noelle’s head or Floyd’s head and see how their backgrounds and experiences affected the way they thought and the actions they took. I also found them distinct from Laurel’s perspective.
I do think there was the insinuation of a further mystery with Poppy that remained a little unresolved. Why was she so isolated from her family? Why was she homeschooled? Why was she so, for lack of a better word, weird? I was expecting more of a confession from Floyd on that point, but it wasn’t really important in the end. I think Poppy was just weird to create a bit of discomfort in the reader. There were other small things that didn’t really matter, like SJ’s boyfriend. There was just a bit of unnecessary fat that could be trimmed.
I liked the characters well enough. Laurel is a compelling character who evolves and grows over the course of the story, and it was nice to see her reconnecting and rebuilding her family after a devastating loss. Floyd plays his part well as the “too good to be true” new boyfriend. He was just suspicious enough to be interesting, but not so much so that he became an unrealistic character. I surprisingly also really appreciated the ex-husband Paul. It was a refreshing take on this kind of dynamic because of the lack of bitterness and blame after their separation. Noelle, too, had some depth to her that created a more interesting story than what was on the surface.
I was a little surprised with how sad the story concluded. I never really believed that the remains found were Ellie’s, but I was really surprised how that ended up. I still think it was a good ending, but definitely sad.
I would recommend Then She Was Gone if you don’t mind a thriller that’s not particularly twisty. It’s an easy read, and I enjoyed it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Pregnancy
Moderate: Child abuse and Death