Lisa Jewell writes another thriller of a mystery in Then She Was Gone. Ten years ago, Laurel’s 15-year-old daughter, Ellie, walked to the library, never returned and no clues ever surfaced. The tragedy left her family in ruins. Divorced and having difficult relationships with her two remaining children, Laurel is trying to put the pieces of her life back together. And then she meets Floyd and his daughter Poppy.
Ellie is Laurel’s youngest daughter and the light of her life. Through flashbacks, we learn she is smart, driven and getting ready to take her GCSE’s (exams taken in England at this age). She disappears without a trace despite an intense search and public outreach. Now, ten years later, her remains are found but still no clues as to what happened to her or why.
Laurel meets Floyd not long after a memorial service for Ellie. She is trying to move on with her life, especially after learning that her ex-husband has found a new partner. Floyd’s daughter, Poppy, reminds her Ellie and Laurel quickly falls for Floyd. But something seems ‘off’. A comment from Floyd’s older daughter, along with the realization that Poppy’s mom was Ellie’s GCSE tutor, has Laurel revisiting Ellie’s disappearance.
The story is told primarily in third person but Jewell uses first person later in the book which helps answer ‘why’ Ellie disappears. (I don’t want to say more and spoil anything for readers.) This was a clever way to show character’s motivations. In addition to the mystery, Laurel’s character evolves and learns to appreciate her surviving children in new ways. The ending is very satisfying.
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