A review by mlthomas234
Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

This book absolutely devastated me, in a way I was not expecting or prepared for. First, it’s an excellent thriller from start to finish. The storytelling is layered, the characters are complex (not to mention deeply flawed), and the emotional pull only gets stronger as you move through the story, up to the very last words. 

Other things I liked: the differences in narrative voice are very well done. Though the story begins to shape up fairly early (in the first third) I was still fully engaged throughout the rest, as answers only opened up more interesting  questions. The writing itself was also very lyrical and nice. Read this!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Child death, and Abandonment

Moderate: Domestic abuse, Gaslighting, Kidnapping, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Medical trauma, Murder, Pregnancy, Stalking, Violence, Grief, and Sexual assault

Minor: Death of parent