My Sister is Missing by Julia Barrett
Genre: Psychological thriller
Read: 14th March 2019
Purchase: Amazon
(release date: 14th March 2019)
★★★★ 4 stars
I have read some mixed reviews about this book so I wasn't sure what to expect. It did take me a lot longer to read than normal but that was due to some unforeseen circumstances in my personal life and nothing to do with the book.
MY SISTER IS MISSING is the debut novel of Julia Barrett and it is intense, emotional, intriguing and even a little twisted. There was so much going on but still it kept you riveted to every page to see what happened next.
The story begins with Jess waking one morning with a killer hangover (why are all the women in books I am reading at the moment always downing bottles of wine?) and a phone call from her brother in law, Adam. Her older - and often wiser - sister Steph has gone missing with her newborn daughter of 3 weeks, Natalie. It is so out of character for Steph that it throws Jess into action as she rushes to Adam and Steph's place in affluent Epping.
Ever since childhood, Steph had always been there for Jess; had always been her protector and someone she could always turn to. So what had happened to her sister to make her suddenly run with her newborn baby? Sure, she was a new mum adjusting to motherhood, but both Jess and Adam thought she was doing just fine. They both thought how peaceful she looked when feeding Natalie. Surely, she had been fine...hadn't she? But if she had, then why run? She's not taken her mobile or any clothes for Natalie. She has just left without a trace.
Jess finds herself supporting Adam as well as herself as they take their suspicions to the police. They go through the motions of reporting Steph missing and, given that she has their newborn daughter who is just 3 weeks old, her disappearance is given high priority. The police ask them questions as to where Steph might go? Any family? Friends? Anywhere special? Neither have a clue.
It isn't long before Jess begins to finds Adam's behaviour somewhat erratic. He goes from bawling mess to calm and collected. She becomes suspicious that he is hiding something when she overhears him in hushed tones on the phone and abruptly left the house. When Jess pressed "redial" she found he's called the speaking clock to clear the last number he had called. Why? What is he hiding?
When Adam returns home he claims to have been "just driving around" looking for Steph but when Jess finds a suspicious receipt and then the next day sees him driving out of the hospital car park, she decides to follow him. Days later Jess follows Adam to find him visiting a stranger in hospital, whom the staff believe to be his brother. She also discovers that the receipt she'd found resembles the parking tickets for the hospital car park. Why has he been visiting the hospital every day when he says he is out looking for Steph? What is Adam hiding? And how is it connected to Steph's disappearance?
Jess and Steph grew up in Sheffield. Would Steph go back there? Surely not, Jess thinks. There is nothing for them there. But when the police discover through the ANPR (automated number plate recognition) system that Steph's car was registered on the road leading to Sheffield, and CCTV has seen her in a Sheffield car park, Jess begins to wonder. Then news comes through that a woman matching Steph's description holding what appears to be a baby jump in front of a train at a Sheffield train station. Adam is beside himself, believing that Steph has fallen to such depths once again, taking their daughter with them. But Jess refuses to believe her sister has taken her life.
Then Jess finds Steph's diary and what she reads shocks her to the core. In it, Steph writes that she had been having an affair and "he" wants a paternity test to prove Natalie is or isn't his. She writes he also wants to tell Adam about their affair but it would destroy him and their marriage. What can she do? Her mum, ever the voice of reason, helps her decide what to do.
The only problem is...Jess and Steph's mum died a year ago. Surely Steph doesn't think she is still alive? What has happened to Steph that she had missed seeing?
It is in that moment, Jess thinks she knows where Steph has gone. It's the only thing that makes sense. So Jess takes to the road in search of her missing sister and niece.
MY SISTER IS MISSING is completely enthralling that keeps you second guessing. I did find there to be an excess of monologuing from Jess' POV (which I'm never a fan of) and would prefer a little more dialogue. But I guess that is the nature of the story as well - the fact they each character is dealing with their own demons and their own secrets that no one else knows.
We know from the start that Jess had an unhappy childhood and an incredibly difficult relationship with her mother. Throughout the story we get snippets of Jess' experiences as a child at the hands of her mother and it's not until she decides to finally unburden herself to her boyfriend, that we get the bigger picture.
Jess' mother always blamed her for their father leaving them. But Jess knew she must be right because she had seen something so confusing to her 5 year old mind that she decided to tell her father in the hope that he could help her make some sense of it. Instead he told her he would always love her...and he left. Their mother's response was to blame her and subsequently abuse her frequently.
While their mother doted on Steph, giving her everything, she gave Jess nothing. She often told Steph that Jess was looking after an elderly neighbour instead of letting her go out. She also said Jess was ill but instead had locked her in a cupboard. Steph always got new clothes while Jess only got her hand-me-downs. Jess was never allowed out, never allowed to go anywhere, never allowed to have a life.
One day Jess told her teacher what was happening at home, and because her mother was well-known in the community, her teacher told her to stop telling lies. From that day on, Jess knew to keep her secrets to herself. Telling them only made people leave, made them hate her and blame her. In her 5 year old mind, keeping secrets was the only way to make it through life in one piece.
But whilst Steph may have been her mother's favourite, she did not lead the charmed life Jess thought she did. Steph had witnessed something as a teenager so disturbing that, together with an equally horrifying experience later at Uni, she created the delusions in her mind that twisted her reality which she began to write about in her diary.
MY SISTER IS MISSING is told primarily from Jess' POV, but also various diary entries by Steph and the odd POV from Adam. It's a twisted psychological thriller that takes precedence with each characters' individual stories, secrets and truths, while the police procedural aspect remains in the background. This is Jess and Steph's story.
Ironically, I didn't not like anyone, which for me is unusual as there is always someone I don't like. I'm not a fan of strong ball-breaking women but with Jess I felt a little different - maybe due to her past which we became privy to early on in the story. I didn't love her, but I didn't hate her either.
MY SISTER IS MISSING touches on some sensitive subjects which I think were handled well. Abuse is always a popular theme but mental health and post-natal depression isn't. I think the author did this quite well as it's not a often subject talked about. You're supposed to be overwhelmed with love and basking in the glow of motherhood, but that is not always the case. The author has handled the issues with sensitivity, giving the reader a real feeling of empathy, while still making an impact.
Overall, while I thought MY SISTER IS MISSING could have been better - as it did feel like it was it went off on a little tangent for a while - it was still gritty, compelling, intriguing and totally twisted! I thought the aspects dealing with their mother was a clever way to give the women closure. Despite its difference, I thought the ending was rather apt - which surprised me. There really was no other way to end it but with a sense of closure.
Thank you to #JuliaBarrett, #NetGalley and #RedDoorPublishing for an ARC of #MySisterIsMissing in exchange for an honest review.
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