Many thanks to the publisher for the complimentary review copy; however, these are solely my thoughts and opinions and not influenced in any way.
Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
Published by HarperCollins
On March 10th, 2015
Genre: Fiction, Young Adult
Pages: 368
Source: complimentary review copy
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Lauren Oliver’s latest novel follows two sisters trying to overcome a terrible car accident and a family trying to move ahead in spite of a divorce. Underlying that family drama is a 9-year-old girl who has gone missing from the backseat of her sister’s car.
Nick {Nicole} and Dara are a little over 11 months apart. They’ve been inseparable since babies until the past four months has found Dara shunning Nick since the car accident.
Lauren Oliver has a way of writing that grabs you from the outset and does not let go. In that aspect, she is a master storyteller. In Vanishing Girls Oliver rotates between Dara and Nick as narrator and between ‘before’ the accident and ‘after.’ This style both moves the story along rapidly and hides the clues of what really happened with both the missing girl and the car accident.
A couple of issues I had with the plot ~ do high school juniors and seniors really drink that much? I don’t ever remember drinking that much in high school, nor do I believe I was so absent & unawares when my kids were in high school ~ perhaps I’m being naive?
Second issue is more plot development ~ I figured out part of the mystery early on from the big whoppers of clues and I’m probably the person that takes the longest to figure anything out! My family and friends know when they tell me a joke they may have to break it down for me {sad, but true!}. I’m thinking if the clues had not been so blatant that the big reveal may have been much more shocking.
Lauren Oliver’s writing ability is intense and wrings me out by the time I close the book. Never fails, she has me sobbing by the end. In Before I Fall {review} I remember thinking I would never quit crying!
Where she does get it right, Oliver shines. The conflict and relationship of the sisters is what I witnessed with my girls who are 18 months apart. The adoration and dedication are apparent between the two as is the struggle with personal identity and the intrinsic jealousies. It’s a good study in love and conflict of two sisters.
To sum up, I liked Vanishing Girls. Although the plot was not as seamless as previous novels, Lauren Oliver has a unique writing style that I thoroughly enjoy. Recommended.
