STORY SUMMARY
Emily Evans, aged 6, is the youngest sister to Lilith (age 13) and Lucy (age 12). The girls are the daughters of a pharmacist and his wife. The pharmacist was hoping to become a minister but that didn't work out. He is strict, has Scripture that he recites as prayers with the girls and his wife, and runs a very structured household. They own a lake house in Minnesota which is very remote. They spend their summers there along with a few other genteel families. They are friends with the Millers. Mr Miller has two sons who are also being raised by their Chippawow grandmother, as their mom died when the youngest son (Matthew) was born. Matthew is 12 years old and his older brother Abe, 15, is cognitively impaired and is more like a younger child. Both boys are hard workers for their dad's Lodge where the summer people come for food, drinks, to play board games and in which weekend fishermen come for a retreat.
It is 1935. On the very last day of summer, Emily disappears. This destroys her mother, who ends up spending the rest of her life in the summer house vs going back to their year round home in Williamsburg. Every day, the mother hopes that Emily will walk out of those woods. Lilith and Lucy also keep a decades-long vigil for their lost, little sister.
Now it is 60 years later, 1995, and Lucy, the quiet and watchful middle sister, who never got married or had children, is living alone in the lake house. Lilith died a few years ago, leaving behind a daughter named Maurie who is a very troubled single mom to Justine, a young, single mom herself with 2 little girls named Melanie and Angela. Their daddy walked out on them a year or so ago and Justine has had a troubling relationship with her boyfriend Patrick who is very controlling and can be physically and emotionally abusive along with being manipulative. Lucy has only met her neice (Justine) once when Justine was 9 years old and Maurie came back looking for a handout. It was the last time Maurie saw her mother (Lilith) alive.
Before Lucy dies, (she has cancer that she has refused treatment for) she writes the story of that devastating summer of 1935 in a notebook that she leaves to Justine in her will. She also leaves her grand-niece the entire house. In the notebook are the answers to what really happened to Emily and to why Lilith and Lucy did not respect their father. Lucy thinks this notebook will matter to Justine.
For Justine, the summer lake house provides an escape from Patrick the manipulator and she believes it will give her daughters a more stable environment than what she herself grew up with. Maura was always moving from one crappy small town to another across the mid-west and Justine has vowed she will not do that to her own daughters. She and her mother rarely communicate and it's been years since Maura has seen her. Maura has never met Melanie and Angela, her granddaughters, except once for a very short time.
Justine moves the girls out from San Diego to the remote lake town in Minnesota and Winter is just beginning. The house is cold and needs repairs. Her only neighbor is the very old Matthew whom she comes to call friend. He definitely knows more about the summer of 1935 than he is willing to share.
Soon, Melanie becomes obsessed with learning what happened to Emily, her great-aunt who disappeared so many years ago. Justine's mother (Maurie) comes to the house to claim her inheritance (a diamond ring that they never do find) and the man Justine left behind, Patrick, launches a dangerous plan to win her back.
What will this legacy that is left for Justine to discover reveal to her about her family, her self and her daughters?
Only a devastating fire will help to answer those questions of the disappearance of Emily and the incidents that led Lucy and Lilith to some of the very worse secrets.
MY THOUGHTS
This was a very believable book. It was uncanny how some of the incidents reminded me of my mother's childhood and what happened with some of her older siblings and their father.
The character development is well thought out and the setting is perfect for this type of story. Each chapter is either Lucy's voice (1935) or Justine's (1995). It's very well done and moves quickly.
The main themes in this story are: family relationships; mother-daughter relationship; single parenthood; domestic violence; incest; friendship; secrets; betrayal; loyalty; regret; sacrifices we make towards the ones we love.
There was one quote that really jumped out at me:
"The things we do for love are the hardest things to regret." (pg 334 The Lost Girls by Heather Young c. 2016)
Although there are some serious, sobering themes in this story, it is a fast-paced mystery and family saga/drama and I highly recommend it.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the highest, I rate this a 9.
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