This book has an intriguing premise--think Natalee Holloway--and the writing is quite good. It didn't hurt that I read it while on a Caribbean vacation, so the setting really added to my experience.
The good: You do find out what happens to Alison fairly quickly (unlike poor Natalee whose body was never found). I was so happy about that, because I was dreading an unresolved case.
The not-so-good: The entire case was not really resolved to my liking. Yes, you get a sense of what happened to her, but I wanted to know for SURE. I know, that's not really the point of this novel, but I wanted more from that aspect. This is a mystery, but not really a mystery, and I was longing for a different type of resolution.
The writing is lyrical and tells the story of two sisters, their stories winding around each other and folding back again through tape recorded journal entries that allow Claire to get to know the real Alison when she is an adult herself with adult perspective. The story of the sisters and their coming-of-age, as well as their choices in life and where it led each of them was what made this book better than it could have been. Schaitkin is a talented writer and I look forward to seeing more from her in the future.
The good: You do find out what happens to Alison fairly quickly (unlike poor Natalee whose body was never found). I was so happy about that, because I was dreading an unresolved case.
The not-so-good: The entire case was not really resolved to my liking. Yes, you get a sense of what happened to her, but I wanted to know for SURE. I know, that's not really the point of this novel, but I wanted more from that aspect. This is a mystery, but not really a mystery, and I was longing for a different type of resolution.
The writing is lyrical and tells the story of two sisters, their stories winding around each other and folding back again through tape recorded journal entries that allow Claire to get to know the real Alison when she is an adult herself with adult perspective. The story of the sisters and their coming-of-age, as well as their choices in life and where it led each of them was what made this book better than it could have been. Schaitkin is a talented writer and I look forward to seeing more from her in the future.