Daughter - Jane Shemilt

I wasn't sure if I really wanted to read this - the title is rather too redolent of Rosamund Lupton's "Sister" from a few years ago, and felt a bit like cashing in on the success of that - and the overall theme (teenage girl goes missing; secrets emerge) sounded hardly original.

The narrative, seen through the eyes of Naomi's mother Jenny, moves back and forth in time - from the night of the disappearance and the periods immediately before and after, to Jenny's life a year later. Again, this dual/multiple time-frame form of storytelling is not unusual, in fact at present it's more or less de rigueur for this type of psychological mystery.

Despite these initial reservations, Daughter drew me in very quickly and I subsequently found it hard to put down – especially towards the end when I really could not tear myself away. As mentioned, the story is narrated by Jenny Malcolm, a GP, mother of three teenage children – twin boys, Ed and Theo, and fifteen-year-old Naomi – and wife of neurosurgeon Ted. Her life is busy and fulfilling and it never occurs to her how much is going on beneath the surface of her seemingly perfect family. When Naomi fails to come home one night, some uncomfortable realities come gradually and painfully to the surface, forcing Jenny to challenge her own beliefs and assumptions.

 

The writing is excellent and the characters very believable. Clues are scattered throughout though it is not until the end that we learn what really happened to Naomi – and it might not be what you expect. The twist right at the end was something I didn’t see coming, and leaves the reader wanting to know more – what happens to these characters in the future? That said, it’s not an unsatisfying end by any means. The novel is well structured with the author drawing parallels throughout between, for instance, the attitude of Jenny and other characters to certain individuals, and how this may be reflected in her own family. Entrenched (comfortable?) beliefs may need to be challenged….

 

Mostly, it’s a portrayal of how a family – especially a mother – deals, or doesn’t, with the unexplained disappearance of a child. Jenny’s behaviour and reactions are completely plausible and the reader can imagine, only too easily, how she is feeling.

 

I recommend this as a gripping read, and look forward to reading more from Jane Shemilt in the future.