I'm not giving this book five stars because it's a classic. It's enjoyable, but I won't read it again. I'm not giving it five stars because it's the perfect mystery. I figured it out well over a hundred pages before the reveal. And I'm not giving it five stars because it's one of those books that changed my life. It's really not.I'm giving this five stars because I could not put it down! French's little mystery may have just hit me at the perfect time (I've been on an "American canon" kick lately, and this was not), but I burned through the pages not out of a sense of responsibility but out of a burning desire to keep reading. I stayed up late at night, I turned off the tv, I even (gasp) read during work--don't tell those kids who were working on worksheets all through World Lit. French's writing is concise, psychological, and figurative all at the same time. She strikes a good balance, and it works.
In some ways the story is like a deeper, more interesting Law and Order: SVU set in Ireland. As a child, Rob Ryan and two of his friends disappeared in the woods. He later reappeared shaken, leaning against a tree, and unable to remember anything that happened. When he grew up, Rob became a detective, and when a child is killed at the site of his disappearance, his past and his present begin to meet in unsettling ways.
French introduces an interesting--sometimes too interesting--cast of characters, at least one of whom will return in her next novel. I don't want to say who the character is--good or bad, past or present, dead or alive--because I don't want to spoil anything, but I do know that I plan to read her second book.
In all, this is a good read. I can't promise it will be five stars for everyone, but for me, now, it was just right. Click to buy. And this one I recommend.
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