THE MISSING GIRL BY JENNY QUINTANA
2018 • Mantle • 336
In the
unseasonably warm autumn of 1982, fifteen-year-old Gabriella Flores goes
missing. Her younger sister Anna is torn up by her sister’s disappearance and
for the next thirty years, no one knows what happened to Gabriella. Decades later,
Anna has built a life for herself in Athens and has tried to put the past
behind her. But the sudden death of her mother forces Anna to return to her
childhood home and the village where she and her sister grew up. Being the only
Flores left in her family she is left to sort through her mother’s possessions,
and having to reconnect with her past makes Anna question something she hasn’t
dared think about in years – what happened to Gabriella?
If I
were to describe Jenny Quintana’s The Missing Girl, I would define
it as a quiet, family focused drama. There are few characters and the story
takes place in a village where everyone is known to each other. It’s not a fast-paced
thriller but it definitely has that ability of keeping you hooked which is
essential for a good page turner. For me, this book was a breath of fresh air.
I wasn’t really expecting to be so absorbed in to the story, but after reading
just the first few pages I knew this was going to be a book I would enjoy
spending time with. Quintana’s writing style is effortless and eloquent, and it
helps to set the quiet tone of the novel perfectly. If this is her debut, then
I’m interested to see what’s she’s going to come up with next.
If
slow burning, mystery stories are something you enjoy then this is a great one
to check out. I like fast paced, twisty plots as much as any lover of thriller
fiction but The Missing Girl is different. Although both books
are very different, I was reminded of Joanna Cannon’s The Trouble With
Goats and Sheep as I was reading it, so if you enjoy Cannon’s work
then I think Quintana’s prose will keep you engaged. The story’s narrative
shifts from 1982 to the present day thirty years later, with alternating
chapters both narrated by Anna in the first person. The past and present style
added layers to the story which really helped to set up the mystery, and the
chapters set in the 80’s had a quaint nostalgic feel.
It’s
not a complex story, but that’s what I enjoyed about it. It was part
coming-of-age, part family drama, part mystery, and collectively it made for
the ideal cosy read for the winter months.
Overall
rating: 4 stars
If
you'd like to check out my other reviews you can find them here. Until next time: happy reading,
fellow booklovers.
My arc copy of The Missing Girl was
sent to me by The Bookbag and
my review originally appeared on their website.
