Good as Gone

May 30, 2016
The life of Anna Davalos, the narrator of Gentry’s suspenseful if flawed first novel, has been defined by a single night—when her 13-year-old daughter, Julie, was abducted at knifepoint by an intruder into their Houston home, a crime witnessed by her terrified 10-year-old daughter, Jane. Eight years later, Anna’s relationship with Jane is strained, and no one is looking for Julie any more. Anna’s life is upended again when Julie shows up on her doorstep, traumatized physically and mentally. Julie’s account of her captivity is harrowing, but Anna soon suspects that Julie isn’t being completely honest about what happened. Those doubts extend to the basic question of whether the young woman is really Julie or a manipulative, cynical imposter. As the family adjusts to the new reality, Anna’s relationships with her husband and Jane suffer. Gentry does a good job of making the characters, especially Anna, psychologically plausible, but the final revelation is a letdown. Agent: Sharon Pelletier, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

For eight years, Julie Whitaker's family has agonized over her knifepoint kidnapping. Was she murdered? Could she be alive? The horrifying question is miraculously answered when Julie appears on their doorstep. Narrator Karen Peakes portrays the sheer joy of Anna, Julie's mother, and then her unspeakable creeping doubts about the grown-up Julie's true identity. Peakes's narration of Julie herself is tinged with a shade of vagueness that invites listeners to question her credibility. Because the points of view change between chapters, and, for the most part, Peakes maintains only minimal characterizations for most voices, it sometimes can be difficult to quickly grasp the changes. But Peakes delivers the occasionally elegant prose with grace. As doubt turns to suspicion, the plot twists become even more intriguing. N.M.C. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine