The Lost Girls

There comes a time when you read the back of a book cover and think you have it all wrapped up and figured out until you begin reading it. Even though the clues allude to you along the way, you simply pass them by in an effort to uncover the story that speaks of loyalty and salvation as its themes to the characters you meet in the novel.

The Evan's family like most in the early 30's found solace and an escape to every day life by spending the summers at a remote Minnesota Lake house they owned. There they would reunite with other wealthy families from Williamsburg, the mayor, the lawyer, the doctor, and others in 7 simple houses that they each came back to like a reunion. While the husbands returned back to their 9 to 5 lives during the week, the wives would relax a bit and gather to share the latest news or gossip, until the men returned like clockwork at the close of business to be with their families once again.

In the novel The Lost Girls by Heather Young, the story toggles between a hidden secret kept by Lilith and Lucy Evans. Things there mother didn't want to know and they didn't want forgotten. Their story is shared in two vastly different time frames, one from 1935 and the other in 1999. Lucy chronicles what happened the summer they lost Emily, their youngest sister who was never found and forever changed the lives of not only the Evan's girls but those who stayed at the lake year round. For Justine, the grand-daughter of Lucy, she shares her own story of learning that when Lucy died, she left the lakefront home to her along with a substantial amount of money. It too would change her life and that of her daughters Melanie and Angela.

This is a memoir of what happened in 1935 and with it the consequences that Justine must face when  she learns the truth. Will she keep what she learns a secret or will she expose what should have never let lie in the past? How will she resolve to deal with the things she learns from her families dark past and what she will do with her own that is facing her. It is a lineal curse that is passed down from family member to family member or will she finally say the one thing that should have released all of them from their own deeply seeded pasts? You'll have to read the book to see how it all plays out.

I received The Lost Girls by Heather Young compliments of William Morrow, a division of Harper Collins Publishers. This was an ending I didn't see coming or maybe I did and simply choose to ignore it hoping for a better outcome. It does convey the sense of the loyalty between family members to keep a secret or expose it so it won't keep happening again. Then again it begs the question of the reader, how far would you go to protect your family? What would you be willing to risk when you see your family unraveling and you are the only one who can stop it or let it fall apart? There are discussion guide questions at the conclusion of this novel that is perfect for book clubs to enjoy and for this reader it gains a 4 out of 5 stars in my opinion.

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The Lost Girls by Heather Young

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To read more reviews on The Lost Girls, please visit Harper Collins Publisher's website.