then she was gone
AUTHOR:Lisa Jewell
WHY I PICKED IT: Pinterest suggestion
THEMES: long-term grief and its impact on family, the dangers of obsession, and the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, trauma.
FAVORITE QUOTES:
“Stories, are the only thing in this world that are real. Everything else is just a dream.”
"A man who can’t love but desperately needs to be loved is a dangerous thing indeed."
"The blame game could make you lose your mind… all the infinitesimal outcomes, each path breaking up into a million other paths every time you heedlessly chose one, taking you on a journey that you'd never find your way back from".
FINAL THOUGHTS AND REVIEW: ⚠️ Spoilers ahead ⚠️
It was set in the suburbs and gave off indie vibes. Laurel (the mom) seemed so depressed after her daughter Ellie went missing. She stopped taking care of her family too, which showed how deeply grief can affect someone’s mental health. Later, when she meets Floyd, everything changes. He has a daughter named Poppy who strangely resembles Laurel’s lost daughter.
But as the story slowly unscrambles, I became more and more shocked. Noelle, who was Ellie’s tuition teacher, seemed like a normal old lady at first — she talked weirdly and would often gift Ellie beautiful things. Later we find out that she kidnapped Ellie and imprisoned her in the basement. She took care of her in a really twisted way, which made the whole situation even creepier. After the baby was born, Ellie named her Poppy who, yes, turns out to be Laurel’s granddaughter. Hence the resemblance.
The ending was honestly pretty sad. Floyd leaves Laurel with a note explaining the whole situation. I personally loved Floyd — he was a sweet guy who took great care of Poppy and had wonderful dates with Laurel. I really wished they had a happy ending. Ellie’s death was heartbreaking too.
REVIEW: ⭐⭐⭐⭐