I came to this book (which is hugely thick!), and this author, without knowing anything about either - the best way perhaps?

 

I took this with me as part of my holiday reading - without anything else much to  do.  Just as well really - as I could not put it down!

 

OK - the blurb says 'The night before her lavish wedding ..Cressida.. goes to bed 'serene and loved' .. and just . . .  vanishes.

 

The story is told from each characters point of view, in a rolling time scale.  Starting from the morning of the 'wedding' and covering the rest of the day, night and following morning.  I did have problems keeping up with who was who, and was related to whom, in the over all scheme of things - but that may be just me, reading it so fast.  And it is very readable - I could just not stop.  This girl has really got the hang of 'the cliff hanger' to keep you hooked!  As I had 'nothing' better to do - I read the next bit - and the next - and the next - and so on.

 

The plot reveals a close knit family - with friends and lives (and secrets) - who all know each other / but don't R E A L L Y  know what is going on - and it all falls apart before our eyes.  As the characters start to compare notes and experiences of Cressida they start to realise that no one really knew her or anything of her life.  Could YOU sell your flat, and not one of your family NOTICES that you don't live there any more - or have ANY idea where you were living! 

 

The language is easy and flowing - the sentences short and snappy, and the story construction is brilliant - and (baring my confusion of who related to whom) all fitted together with the drip, drip, drip of information.  This story is timeless and the only give away of when it was written is the constant referral to ' she pulled on some leggings and a t-shirt.', and the lack of designer names dropped!

 

This book is perfect for the holidays - the beach / long plane / train trip / boring (wet) bank holiday!  I think it makes a good comment on us all and how much we really know each other - if we don't ask, then we don't know - therefore we can pretend it's not there.