The Last Good Place of Lily Odilon

October 11, 2010
When his girlfriend, Lily, disappears in the middle of the night while he is asleep in her bed, 17-year-old Albert has no idea where she's gone or that he will soon become suspected of abducting her. Debut novelist Beitia's story unfolds in three time lines—one that describes past moments in Lily and Albert's relationship; another that unfolds in the hours and days after her disappearance; and a third, in which Albert and Lily's sister, Olivia, are on the lam looking for Lily. Their search is spurred by a mysterious postcard Albert receives from Lily right after she flees, which says that she is waiting for him in "The Last Good Place." Each time line fleshes out minute details, plunging readers deep into Albert's experience; the interlacing of the three creates real tension in the first half of the book. Pacing slows in the second half when revelations in the second story line are less climactic since readers already know certain details uncovered in the third thread. But the climax more than makes up for this and caps off a journey well worth taking. Ages 12–up.