Book 49: The Missing Person's Guide to Love by Susanna Jones (original) (raw)
May 26 2009, 06:57
Book 49: The Missing Person's Guide to Love: a Novel.
Author: Susanna Jones, 2007.
Genre: Literary. Contemporary. Mystery.
Other Details: Hardback. 278 pages.
This is not an easy book to review as I found myself so perplexed at the conclusion that I couldn't make up my mind about it even though I felt that overall it was very well written. Following the meeting last week of the reading group for which it was our May selection and discussions about the book, I was still scratching my head over the issue. So I sat down the next day and re-read it. I emerged with an unequivocal thumbs up for the novel, a sense of the author's intentions and certainly able to appreciate why it had attracted critical praise. I feel that on the first read I had approached it more as a straight forward narrative; whereas on the second I was more sensitive to the cover blurb that stated "nothing - either past or present - is as it seems" and so was more aware of its undercurrents and sub-text.
So what is it about? Before the enigmatic statement quoted above, the cover advises that Isabel has travelled from Turkey to her home town in the north of England to attend the funeral of her childhood friend Owen. When they were fifteen their mutual friend Julia had disappeared without a trace. Julia and Owen were devastated by Julia's disappearance and found solace in each other's company. Then they committed a reckless act of arson. As she was still seventeen, Isabel was sent to a young offenders centre but the slightly older Owen went to prison. They never saw each other again. Over the years Isabel has come to suspect that Owen was responsible for Julia's murder and so sets herself the task of investigating this to find some kind of resolution. Giving herself only the day and evening of the funeral to accomplish this task, she finds herself awash in memories of the past and increasingly cut off from her husband and child at home in Turkey.
Isabel's first person narrative is interspersed with short chapters featuring her aunt Maggie, who is also on her way to the funeral. Maggie, a writer of romantic thrillers, had always had an unconventional, liberated lifestyle and had held a powerful fascination for both Julia and Isabel. One of her books is titled The Missing Girls' Club, which links to the novel's title.
It is a book I would certainly recommend. However, even though its plain style and short length can tempt the reader to whiz though it (as I did the first time), it is a book that requires concentration to avoid the kind of confusion initially experienced by myself and reported by others.
Cross-posted to 
50bookchallenge.