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As dinner continues to get cold, Lisa can only help but wonder what was keeping his husband. After waiting for a while, Lisa decides to call the local police, who inform her that she needs to wait because her husband has not gone for such a long time. I kept thinking of Lord of the Flies as I was reading this. Children that seem to be basically raising themselves, either because of neglect, a hand off approach to child rearing, or because it is assumed they are safe. Didn't agree with much in the way of parenting here, not sure I cared much for the parents who seem oblivious to all the undercurrents happening within this gang of kids. Pip, who is only twelve seems to have more sense than any of them. Lisa Jewell sure knows how to ramp up the suspense – and how to throw out a red herring or five or ten!
When the book begins, Alice sees a stray man sitting on a bench next to her house. Due to her inquisitive nature, Alice wants why the man was sitting on the bench, while it was straining. However, Alice knows that she should stay out of it. The housing groups’ central focus is a park with gardens at the center upon which children and adults alike freely wander the field and playground. People come and go while enjoying the summer outdoor activities. It seems everyone knows something about everyone else’s business. Elsewhere in urban London, the newly married Lily Monrose is worried about her husband who didn’t return home from work. And as per the police, her husband never existed.I loved the setting and the premise of the book. It’s so easy to romanticise the idea of having a close-knit community, where everyone knows everyone. Where “it takes a village” to raise a child. I loved how even in such a “safe” oasis, evil could still be lurking. Lisa Jewell was born and raised in north London, where she lives with her husband and two daughters. Her first novel, Ralph’s Party, was the bestselling debut of 1999.
The opening discovery of an unconscious Grace sets the tone for the whole book. It’s told from multiple points of view and I found Pip’s letters to her dad particularly poignant. But, when Grace is found unconscious, and hospitalized, remaining in a coma, leaving everyone unsure of what happened to her, a dark side of the idealistic garden community is exposed, with long buried secrets coming to light, prompting some to take drastic measures to protect one of their own. I really like Lisa Jewell’s style. This is the second book of hers I’ve read and enjoyed. I don’t know if I would consider this a suspense, maybe more of a dark women’s fiction novel. I think in that realm her stories are different and sort of refreshing. The story is intriguing and there are plenty of clues and misdirection as to who is responsible and it kept me guessing to the end. However, I found the ending of the book anticlimactic and disappointing. The tension builds to a crescendo and then basically fizzles out. The story was so compelling but I couldn’t help but feel dissatisfied by the ending. The Girls Lisa Jewell Book Review: Summary
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While this wasn’t a heart pounding thriller, it did manage to keep my attention nicely once everything was set up. I loved the childlike drawings thrown in by Pip in the letters to her father. My favorite character was Adele; she was such a strong character and I found her sense of humor refreshing and a little lighter air when the mood was getting too somber. I also really enjoyed Gordon’s character (I know he was despicable and unlikable but he always made me laugh!); my favorite scene in the book was when he was singing:
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