As with Last Night at the Lobster, this novel gives us more insight into the social ties between family and community than most sociological studies focused on the topic. In this case, O'Nan explores the ramifications of having a college age kid unexpectedly, suddenly and tragically removed from her family. The implications are spelled out for family, friends and community in great believable detail. What is so compelling about this novel is that both postive and negative reactions flow from the loss which makes the account seem more honest and ultimately, more human. If some works of fiction are less compelling because we dont care about any of the characters, O'Nan's novels are unusual in that we can related to nearly all of the characters. And with all the detailed descriptions of human strengths and weaknesses in the face of tragedy, there is still a narrative form that moves us continually forward with the speed of a thriller. ( )

Although the author gave voice to the family members and friends affected by a young woman's kidnapping, I felt the book fell short of evoking the emotions one would feel if in that circumstance. Interesting, but not as raw and real as the subject requires. ( )

I usually love O'Nan's work. He has an amazing ability to elegantly and eloquently give meaning and significance to small, every day details about real life. About three-quarters of his new novel live up to that expectation, but the final quarter falls a bit flat. Given that the story is about how a family handles the unexplained disappearance of a daughter, I'm not sure there was a good way to end the story, which comes through in the writing unfortunately.

While still interesting, this novel does not adequately show O'Nan at his best. ( )

A subdued character study about a family disintegrating in the wake of the elder teenaged daughter's disappearance. She's there; she's gone. Her car turns up, but she does not. In the immediate aftermath of the calamity, there's much to do: follow the investigation, put up fliers, organize searches, do tv appearances. But this is a crisis without end whose ongoing pressure forces all facades to crumble. The different ways family members and friends cope--and fail to cope--with the strain of unknowing, the cycles of hope and despair, survivor guilt, and the truths revealed about their lives is the real subject of the book. The younger sister of the victim is especially well done. It dovetails nicely with the Lamb book with its "snatched from the headlines" subject matter and exploration of the consequences of such horrors on ordinary lives. (Used it as an alternate selection for Lamb’s The Hour I First Believed; obvious connection to The Lovely Bones, though without its feel-good she’s watching-over-us thing. Reference librarian Barb H. likens it to Jodi Picoult, but without her contrivance.) ( )