Amy Gentry

Good as Gone

It's the mother of a missing child's most cherished wish: the child, returned.

But what if you had doubts? What if your long-lost daughter wasn't being completely honest about the circumstances surrounding her abduction? What if you started to wonder if your daughter - your real daughter - might be dead after all? Who might the woman living with you be?

Amy Gentry's astonishing debut explores exactly this scenario.

What's it about?

Eight years ago beautiful, innocent Julie Whitaker show more was kidnapped in the middle of the night from her own bedroom.

Since then, her family have barely survived, hoping for her return while knowing it's nearly impossible.

And then the nearly impossible happens: Julie is home. Or is she? And what did happen to her while she was gone?

What's it like?

Suspenseful. Chilling. Cleverly constructed.

I loved this book and read it in a couple of days, sneaking pages into the smallest crevices of my days (Quick! The children are occupied hunting for worms! Read another page while reminding them (frequently) to be gentle.)

There were so many directions the story could have gone in after the seeds of doubt are sown over Julie's identity, and I'm sure Amy Gentry could have made any of them into a gripping story, but I loved the backwards-chaining narrative she uses. (In terms of narrative structure, this reminded me of 'Memento' but with a female protagonist and a wider supporting cast.)

As we witness Julie settling back into life with the Whitakers, we begin to learn about Gretchen's life...and Violet's...and Mercy's... These girls all have sad stories which are beautifully told; Gentry's style varies from the understated to the poetic as the mundanity of these girls' uncomfortable lives veers into significant moments, pivotal for their survival.

What's to like?

I loved the narrative structure, the story arc, the characterisation and the writing. So, everything, really.

Anna's emotional unavailability is sufficiently well-established by her early spending splurge (what do you do when your 13 year old daughter re-emerges aged 21 after a traumatic 8 years absence during which she experienced multiple forms of abuse? Take her shopping, of course,) that her refusal to discuss the missing years seemed perfectly in keeping with her "hands-off" parenting style, though just occasionally I did want to scream "JUST TALK TO YOUR DAUGHTERS!" at her.

Further thoughts

The mother in me squirms a little when considering Anna's parenting. Could she have prevented Julie's disappearance? Was her emotional distance from her daughters part of the problem? Is Gentry placing part of the blame for Julie's kidnapping on a certain style of mothering or simply exploring the pressures society places on all women?

It's no surprise to learn that Gentry has done a lot of research and spent a lot of time supporting women who have been abused. There's a raw honesty to her writing that makes each story she recounts compelling. I'm lucky enough not to have experienced any of the situations she writes about, but the unemotional brutality of them feels right.

Final thoughts

This is a perfect suspense novel; suspend your disbelief (why on earth didn't the police investigate a certain key avenue? If they had done so then, well, there would be no story, but it stretches belief that they didn't try at all) and this is a gripping, dark tale of childhood destroyed, sexuality abused and a mother's reluctant journey to find out the truth about her daughter's disappearance.

Stunning. I highly recommend this. show less

Bad Habits from Amy Gentry is the type of psychological thriller that grabs you quick then takes a slow burn as more information, past and present, fills in. I happen to like this kind of pacing so loved the book.

While there is some "academic" language used, we're talking about characters who are in academia during both timelines, it shouldn't be distracting if the story itself appeals to you. Some concepts are loosely explained in the process of the narrative while others can be read the show more same way most of us read details in techno-thrillers that we don't understand, they have a meaning between the characters but for the reader they largely serve to highlight the interaction between characters. In other words, knowing or not knowing most of the "academicspeak" won't affect your ability to follow the story. And it won't make you feel dumb unless that is a particular sore spot for you.

As we move back and forth in time we learn more and more about their histories, individually and collectively. What I really liked was how I was constantly thinking about how the present would play out after learning something from the past. I wasn't usually right but that is part of the fun. As well as beginning to think about what must have happened in the past.

I highly recommend this to readers of psychological suspense or thriller, as well as those who simply enjoy getting into the heads of characters.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. show less

Julie is kidnapped from her home, aged 13. Eight years later she turns up on her parents' doorstep and explains that she was sold into sexual slavery and was held in Mexico. Her mother, Anna, gradually becomes suspicious of "Julie's" story. I enjoyed the first half of this novel, although the chapters from the perspective of "Julie" and her various aliases/reincarnations were confusing to me as they appeared in reverse chronological order. I liked the sections where Anna and the PI who show more contacted her uncovered inconsistencies, but the "Julie" chapters got darker and darker and harder to read. In the end I skimmed the last third. show less

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not affect my opinion of the book or my review itself.

I've been reading a lot of dark books lately, maybe because it's winter and typically pretty dark and gloomy outside. Or maybe just because I tend to love psychological thrillers and suspense and they tend to be pretty dark. And Last Woman Standing is definitely one of those dark reads.

Comparisons have been made to Strangers on a Train and I can show more definitely see why. When Dana Diaz, a comedian trying to find her place on stage, meets Amanda Dorn after a difficult show, the two start talking about the difficulties they've faced in their lives, especially when it comes to men. When Dana finds herself drawn into a pact, she realizes the consequences are far more than she could have anticipated.

This is a fascinating and disturbing look at what it means to be a woman in a man's world, the danger and violence women can and do face anywhere at any time. Gentry dives deep into this, through the world of stand up comedy (highly unique), as well as the tech industry (highly timely). Gentry also explores the bonds (or lack thereof) between women, and the power and harm of obsession.

I did guess a large percentage of the major revelation before it happened, but this actually upped the tension for me, because I could see what was coming and as a reader could do nothing about it.

Gentry has proven with this and her debut book that she is a talented writer who knows how to write dark, tense psychological thrillers and suspense. I'm excited to see what she comes up with next. show less