The Night She Disappeared by Lisa Jewell asks the question what happened to Tallulah and Zach. They went for a night out and haven’t returned. Usually, they are very responsible young adults who take good care of their son. Now, Tallulah’s mother, Kim, is frantically worried. The last she heard is that they were going to a party at Dark Place, Scarlett’s family home. Scarlett is someone Tallulah knows from college whose house is right next to a wooded area.
What about Scarlett? What does she know about the
disappearance of Tallulah and Zach? When Kim asks her about it the day after
the party, she seems totally disinterested and doesn’t give Kim much
information.
Fast forward a year, Sean takes a new job at Maypole
House, a boarding school, as the head teacher. Apparently, the position has had scandal linked to it before Sean came. Maypole
House is also located near the same wooded area as Dark Place.
Sean’s significant other, Sophie, moves with him to the
school. On the first day in their new home, Sophie finds an unusual sign that
says, “dig here”. Sophie thinks that there's something familiar about this sign.
As a detective novelist, Sophie becomes fascinated by
what happened to Tallulah and Zach and launches an amateur investigation on her
own. She meets Liam who is a classroom assistant and former student at Maypole
House. He was also at Dark Place the night of the party. What can he tell
Sophie about the disappearance?
My initial impression after reading the first few
chapters is that it’s shaping up to be a solid mystery with interesting
characters, an intriguing setting, and a curious wooded area.
As the story progresses, we see glimpses into the lives
of Tallulah, Zach, Scarlett and Liam. We learn about their relationships and
how they interacted with each other. More importantly, we know their thoughts
and feelings – even their secrets. What can these moments tell us about what
happened that night? I believe there are clues to be found in these parts of
the book.
Moving forward, I formulate my own ideas about what took
place at Dark Place. However, as I continue to read, I abandon these theories
somewhat. Considering all these unique individuals involved in this story and
certain events leading up to that night and after it, I realize there's much
more that still has to be revealed.
Approaching the end, I have a general sense of what
occurred that night. So, I'm ready to wrap this thing up and put a bow on it,
but there's probably even more that has to come to light. Indeed, there are a
lot of moving parts to this mystery.
This is my first Lisa Jewell novel. I’ve heard good
things about her work. I wasn’t disappointed in The Night She Disappeared.
Although it didn’t have an entirely believable ending, I do recommend it
because of the overall story it told.
