Then She Was Gone”

Description

Then She Was Gone” is one of the psychological thrillers by Lisa Jewell. The novel describes the mysterious disappearance of a teenager, Ellie Mack, and devastates her family, mainly her mother, Laurel Mack. The story has themes about loss, grief, moving on with life, and other dark secrets as well as unsettling twists.

Plot Summary:
Ellie Mack, 15 years old, vanishes after going to the library and failing to return. The case of Ellie leaves her family devastated, especially her mother, Laurel, who is emotionally devastated years later; Ellie’s case remains unsolved while her mother’s world has completely unraveled—her marriage has broken down, and what relations she had remaining with her other children were suffocating.

Ten years have passed since the day Ellie disappeared, and it is then that Laurel meets Floyd-a charismatic man-where, with one stroke, she experiences both hope and rejuvenation about a life otherwise strewn with agony and remorse. To her surprise, life takes a very unusual turn as she gets to know Poppy, Floyd’s nine-year-old daughter, who looks spectacularly similar to Ellie. As she weaves further into Floyd and Poppy’s lives, clues about Ellie’s disappearance and the truth behind such a tragic fate begin to unravel.

Important Points:

The Vanishing:

The novel contains all mystery surrounding the disappearance of Ellie. It shifts back and forth between past and present in showcasing the life of Ellie before she disappeared and the quest of Laurel for closure.
Laurel’s Mourning and Recovery
Laurel is the broken character being mourned over guilt because her daughter disappeared for years. Floyd’s relationship lifts her hope but, on the other hand, also brings fresh fears and conclusions.
Ellie’s tale:

As the novel progresses, a reader receives what actually happened to Ellie through various viewpoints and flashbacks of Ellie’s life before her kidnapping and the events that led to disappearance
Psychological Turns:

This book is found to be brimming with frightening twists and turns as Laurel unravels the truth. It turns into a dark suspenseful journey that keeps the reader on tenterhooks, especially where more details are revealed about Floyd and his connection to Ellie.
Family Dynamics:

The novel also explores the tragedy of family relationships. Her other children have lost because of her obsession with Ellie’s case and the family never recovers from it.
Themes:
Loss and Bereavement: The novel describes the trauma of losing a child and has suffered from that of unaddressed grief for a long time.
Mother-Daughter Relationships: The novel, in brief, is related to the relationship between mothers and daughters and what a mother will do in order to know the truth.
Trust and Deception: The novel as the mystery looms larger informs on whom one could trust in life and how easily the facade of a person may cover them in deceit.
Hope and Closure: The novel, though on its dark subject, takes on the idea of finding hope and moving on after the healing process of tragedy.
This is the kind of gripping psychological thriller that is both suspenseful and richly emotional-a very unusual combination. Yet Lisa Jewell manages to make it work so well. She pens a story that delves into the truth about loss and its flip side – the search for answers. The book then develops into an intriguing plot that has readers guessing until the very end.