This is a novel about the stories we tell about ourselves, about the people we love and how what we think we know may not match the actuality. Which leads to the ultimate question: would we even want to know?
Eleven months ago Billie Flanagan disappeared while hiking and is presumed dead. Left behind are her husband, Jonathan, and her teenage daughter Olive. Though both are coping in their own ways, neither is happy. When Olive begins to have visions of Billie and becomes convinced that her mother is still alive, Jonathan is more worried about Olive's mental health then he is convinced that Billie's still alive. But, because she's so insistent, he decides to do a little digging. What he finds about Billie's activities before she disappeared make him start to question what he thinks he knows as well.
I read this one through in just about one go (stayed up way too late doing so too!) and really enjoyed it for the puzzle it presented about Billie's death, but also for the "what if" questions it posed. Those questions provided a great jumping off point for discussion in our mystery book group last week. Good stuff.