About The Book
‘He said that they’d let me go on purpose. That they could easily find me if they wanted to. He said that they didn’t want me. That I was too much trouble. He said if I went to the cops, he’d know. If I told Sonya, he’d know. If I talked to friends or teachers, he’d know. He told me to pretend it didn’t happen. He told me to consider it a compliment, that I was too strong. His last words to me were, ‘Just forget’.
Troubled teen Faith Marsden was one of several girls abducted from Crawton, a country town known for its picturesque lake and fertile farmland. Unlike the others, she escaped, though sixteen years on she still bears the emotional and physical scars.
Zoe Haywood returns to Crawton to bury her estranged mother Lillian, who has taken her own life. As she and Faith rekindle their high-school friendship, they discover notes left by Lillian that point to two more young women who recently disappeared from Crawton. But Lillian’s confused ramblings leave them with more questions than answers.
As Faith and Zoe delve deeper into the mystery, they become intent on saving the missing women, but in doing so are drawn into Auckland’s hidden world of drugs, abduction and murder. And then Faith decides to confront the mastermind – on her own.
My Review
With thanks to the author for the copy received. It is always great to hear about an author that I have never read before and then to learn that there is another book that I can read. I have always enjoyed fiction that takes place in Australia or New Zealand. There is something different that I can’t really describe apart from to say its fresh and raw with no frills attached. I have yet to be disappointed.
It starts with Faith desperate to escape from the situation that she has woken up in. She does so, but there are many more who are at risk. At least one of their stories tugged at my heart-strings.
It is mainly narrated by, and concerns women. There is the estranged relationship between Zoe and her recently deceased mother Lilian. Whilst she looked like she had a good life compared to many of the others who feature she sill had a lot to deal with. She struggles to see how Lilian is regarded now, and how much she missed out in while growing up.
Faith and Megan have both had tough lives. Heavy drinking, drug taking and constantly judged by others. And then there was Aroha. Her story was devastating and I wished her life could have been different.
It is a novel that shows some dubious aspects of society but without much of the detail that would make it difficult to read.
Whilst I did guess correctly at most of what was happening I didn’t see all of it and I did still enjoy it a lot.
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