Day: January 31, 2020

One of the most cleverly-crafted stories I have read in a while, The Nowhere Girl lives up to its tag line of a “gripping and emotional page-turner.”

From the very first chapter, it is apparent that there are going to bad things that occur during the story, and this is undoubtedly the case. One of the strengths of this book is the author’s unflinching look at domestic abuse and its long-lasting effects.

(While the emotional impact is strong, and I felt that even as an observer, it should probably be mentioned that the descriptions of physical and child abuse are graphic and sometimes detailed. They may be extremely disturbing to some readers).

The author made a bold choice in being so descriptive, but the detail catalyzes the story. Some events can occur only because of the detailed memories that arise for both Alice and Molly.

I do not want to belabor this point, because I do not want to give anything away. The plot is tightly woven, and to mention anything more would lessen the impact of the story. The author deftly switches between Alice and Molly in the present and Margaret (their mother) in the past.

There are moments of heartbreaking sadness and deep-seated anger, despair, sacrifice, and hopefulness – honestly, the full gamut of emotions are touched upon throughout the plot. I thought that the author did an incredible job of accurately portraying the feelings of all of the characters.

I felt sympathy for all of the female characters at one point or another, although Molly’s attitude after she received certain news rubbed me the wrong way. I understand her feelings, but there were a few thoughts that I found to be troubling.

 I did think that the book ended a tad abruptly. The build-up and uncovering of the family secrets were done well, but it all seemed accelerated at the end and then it just…wrapped up. I would have liked it to be a little more even at the end, but I was still satisfied with it.

I would highly recommend this book, with a warning that the subject matter is disturbing, but treated with dignity and respect.

AUTHOR BIO

Nicole Trope went to university to study Law but realised the error of her ways when she did very badly on her first law essay because-as her professor pointed out- ‘It’s not meant to be a story.’ She studied teaching instead and used her holidays to work on her writing career and complete a Masters’ degree in Children’s Literature. After the birth of her first child she stayed home full time to write and raise children, renovate houses and build a business with her husband.

The idea for her first published novel, The Boy under the Table, was so scary that it took a year for her to find the courage to write the emotional story. Her second novel, Three Hours Late, was voted one of Fifty Books you can’t put down in 2013 and her third novel, The Secrets in Silence, was The Australian Woman’s Weekly Book of the month for June 2014.
She lives in Sydney with her husband and three children.