Helpful Score: 2
I was told to check out Jennifer McMahon after telling everyone I know how much I love Gillian Flynn. I'll admit -- it was a good recommendation. I enjoyed almost everything about Island of Lost Girls, from its offbeat premise (the central crime surrounds a child kidnapped in broad daylight by a giant stuffed bunny) to its haunting cover art.
The characters are strong and McMahon is skilled at letting the readers learn about them slowly and organically throughout the story. I especially liked one side story about the origin of a central character's nickname. Told in alternating chapters between the present, and 1993, the year main character Rhonda was 11, Island of Lost Girls unravels the stories of two missing children in one small town, and the mystery that connects them.
There is a great twist ending that threw me for a loop, and some really nice writing with lots of thematic extension, which I really like. My only criticism of Island of Lost Girls is that the pacing feels a little rushed, and there are a few strange choices, like a shift from first- to third-person voice midway through the book that seems to point to an author who was really pushing to strike while the iron was hot after a really hot debut novel. The story is strong enough to excuse those little distractions, though, and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
The characters are strong and McMahon is skilled at letting the readers learn about them slowly and organically throughout the story. I especially liked one side story about the origin of a central character's nickname. Told in alternating chapters between the present, and 1993, the year main character Rhonda was 11, Island of Lost Girls unravels the stories of two missing children in one small town, and the mystery that connects them.
There is a great twist ending that threw me for a loop, and some really nice writing with lots of thematic extension, which I really like. My only criticism of Island of Lost Girls is that the pacing feels a little rushed, and there are a few strange choices, like a shift from first- to third-person voice midway through the book that seems to point to an author who was really pushing to strike while the iron was hot after a really hot debut novel. The story is strong enough to excuse those little distractions, though, and I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.
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