Reviewed by Kristin
Sally Holt was thirteen-years-old when she lost one of the
most important people in her life, her big sister Kathy. Although the title
implies that Kathy might be a missing person, the disappearance is permanent. A
moment’s distraction, a swerve of the car, and Kathy is gone.
Sally narrates the story as if she was telling Kathy what has
happened since her death. Sally tells Kathy what people at school said, good
and bad, and in particular, what Billy does. Kathy’s boyfriend Billy was
driving the car.
The story jumps in time, as Sally is now fifteen years older,
reaching adulthood as Kathy never did. Sally is awkward at both ages, showing
an inflexibility that probably only intensified with the trauma of such a loss.
Yet Sally is also a likeable character, and the author develops the story in
such a way that I found Sally’s actions and reactions to be understandable.
Their parents’ grief at losing a child is heartbreaking. In
trying to hold on to Kathy, the mother even turns to a psychic in the hopes of
finding some affirmation that her child is okay. The father is angry, and
unforgiving. Young Sally feels alone, until she starts talking to Billy online.
Their anguish and guilt bring them together, as they talk (and Sally makes
notes to Kathy) over the years.
With moments of humor amid the characters’ pain, Alison Espach
has created a thought provoking and insightful coming of age novel.
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