The Lost Girls

This debut novel by author Heather Young is an intimate exploration of the relationships between three generations of women all linked to a family tragedy that took place one summer long ago in a dilapidated house near a lake in the woods of Minnesota.
 
While the popular trend for alternating narrative styles can often lead to a disruptive or fractured reading experience, in this case the first-person retelling by Lucy of her life in the house with her parents and sisters Lilith and Emily blends beautifully with the third-person contemporary story of Lucy’s niece Justine and her two young daughters Melanie and Angela. The bridge between the generations is Lilith’s free-spirited daughter Maurie who is the mother of Justine.
 
There are many shades and layers here that make for absorbing reading. The contrasting summer and winter descriptions of the old house and its lakeside setting are visceral and immediate. There is an acute sense of the innocent idealism of youth being snatched away and descending into darker territory as each character teeters on the edge of adulthood. As the parallel stories progress the reader realizes that no-one is quite who they seem and that many hopes and dreams will be blocked by others. What happened to Emily who disappeared in the woods? What triggered Maurie’s need to escape from her stultifying existence? What is the truth of the lives of the two bachelor Miller brothers? And will Justine find resolutions for her troubled daughter Melanie and also her relationship with man who loves her deeply yet is also controlling?
 
This excellent and well-crafted novel is highly recommended for anyone who enjoys multi-generational stories with psychological twists and turns as well as a core mystery to be solved. My only quibble is that more originality has not been invested in the title as this outstanding book may struggle to distinguish itself from many others currently still in print that carry this or a very similar title.

(Thanks to the publishers and www.edelweiss.abovethetreeline.com for making this novel available for download and review.)

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