An understated and somewhat ambiguous story, essentially about Celia, a woman in her early 30s, trying to come to terms with things that happened in her childhood, for which she bears some responsibility. Goldberg really works at depicting the relationship dynamics over action, which she does very well. The characters are well realised. Much of the drama in the plot is down to Celia's personal epiphanies as she reviews and investigates her childhood. What is sacrificed in drama is made up in realism and atmosphere - I think Goldberg manages the balance very well. ( )

2.5
This was a relatively short book and a somewhat quick read. The story had a lot of promise, but the ending was very disappointing and I kept wondered where was the resolution= what happened to Celia and Huck? The story kept me intrigued until the end which soured me on the book a little. I also found the overall dialogue between the characters somewhat unrealistic. The entire time, I kept wondering what 32 year old woman still constantly refers to her mother as "mommy". ( )

This book fell very flat for me. I found myself skimming it, looking for pages of action or of interest. It's a shame, because the premise was intriguing to me, and I really wanted to know what had happened that day when Djuna disappeared. Perhaps it was a case of reading-the-wrong-book-at-the-wrong-time? I will pass this copy along to someone else who may get more out of it. ( )

Celia's childhood best friend went missing two decades ago, something Celia has tried her hardest to accept and move on from. But suddenly, she starts remembering what truly happened that day so many years ago. The only problem is, no one believes her-and she's beginning to wonder if she can trust her own mind.

This is such a great concept. I love books centered around secrets from the past, the questioning of the reliability of memories, and the examination of the stories we tell ourselves and others.

While I am okay with ambiguous or open-ended endings when they serve a purpose, this just felt unfinished. The last page feels tacked on and almost renders meaningless everything that came before.

It was also hard to connect with any of the characters, especially the main characters. Despite Goldberg's attempt to highlight how our present selves might not even recognize (or admit to) who were as children, her characters felt somewhat one-dimensional and stuck in place.

Also, just as a warning for readers, there are some very descriptive paragraphs of childhood bullying that can be very difficult to read. These are actually where Goldberg's writing really comes alive, as she makes these scenes painfully vivid and heartrendingly real.

I had such high hopes for this book, but I just didn't love it. It was good enough to hold my interest and keep me flipping pages, but I think that was from holding out hope that the fascinating concept would come to fruition. In the end, I just felt unsatisfied. ( )

A kind, wise book about very painful things. ( )