Put aside a long long afternoon to read this captivating debut mystery
In 1959 California, housewife Joyce Haney disappears. When the hired help, Ruby, arrives she finds that the children have been left alone in the house, the kitchen has been trashed and there are bloodstains on the tiles. The case of the missing housewife falls on Detective Mick Blanke's desk. Mick, who recently transferred to California after a misunderstanding back in New York, feels like he has to prove himself and throws himself into the case. Is Ruby vital to the investigation and can Mick discover what truly happened to Joyce Haney?
This story starts from Joyce's perspective on the morning of her disappearance; and we feel Joyce's emotional intensity from the powerful words the author uses. We get the impression that Joyce is unhappy with her life and potentially suffering from depression. Even though we are only given small snippets of Joyce throughout the novel, through the authors writing we start to understand her character more and more.
Ruby Wright who is the hired help from South Central is another main character. The inclusion of Ruby as a main character makes a compelling story overall. The book is written in multiple perspectives so we get to see everything that she witnesses from her own perspective. Ruby was my favourite character throughout the story. Like Joyce, she too is suffering from struggles in her family life. She is not only limited in life by her sex but also by her race, but she has an inspirational burning desire to achieve her goals. Joyce treated Ruby with respect and they both bonded over the loss of their mothers. Ruby and Joyce form a friendship which becomes the driving force behind Ruby's desire to seek justice for Joyce. Ruby's story also highlights the prejudiced and racial inequality at the time and though not the main focal point of the story, I appreciated that the racial tension at the time is touched upon.
We also see the story from the perspective of Detective Mick Blanke. The detective, though very much of his time, strives to be better than others around him which he shows in his behaviour towards Ruby. Mick too is an interesting character and interesting addition to this story. The author's vivid descriptions throughout the novel truly had me feeling like I was either there or that I could see it. Small descriptions from this author had me knowing exactly what the characters were doing. For example when Mick pinches his nose to make it look as though he's thinking but really he's trying to get a good sniff of the Vicks - I know exactly what face he is pulling.
Sunnylakes sells the suburban American Dream, where seemingly perfect famillies live in a seemingly perfect neighbourhood. But Stepford Wives, this is not. This neighbourhood has a lot of secrets. We are introduced to a group of housewives all struggling with their lives, self-medicating and getting secret support from their Women's Improvement Committee, away from the men in their lives. We are introduced to feminist themes with Joyce wanting to break free from her constricted lifestyle.
There are several themes explored in this book including, marriage, racism, a woman's role in society, prejudiced, inequality, feminism and much more. I initially judged this book by it's cover but the synopsis made me open those pages. Once I opened that cover I was hooked. The driving force of the narrative is the question - where is Joyce and what happened to her? We are drip fed clues throughout the story making for a tantalising read. I enjoyed reading this well paced mystery and constantly found myself in the twists and turns wondering what on earth happened to Joyce. I would highly recommend this book to mystery lovers, historical fiction fans and to anyone looking for a captivating story that you just can't put down.
This story starts from Joyce's perspective on the morning of her disappearance; and we feel Joyce's emotional intensity from the powerful words the author uses. We get the impression that Joyce is unhappy with her life and potentially suffering from depression. Even though we are only given small snippets of Joyce throughout the novel, through the authors writing we start to understand her character more and more.
Ruby Wright who is the hired help from South Central is another main character. The inclusion of Ruby as a main character makes a compelling story overall. The book is written in multiple perspectives so we get to see everything that she witnesses from her own perspective. Ruby was my favourite character throughout the story. Like Joyce, she too is suffering from struggles in her family life. She is not only limited in life by her sex but also by her race, but she has an inspirational burning desire to achieve her goals. Joyce treated Ruby with respect and they both bonded over the loss of their mothers. Ruby and Joyce form a friendship which becomes the driving force behind Ruby's desire to seek justice for Joyce. Ruby's story also highlights the prejudiced and racial inequality at the time and though not the main focal point of the story, I appreciated that the racial tension at the time is touched upon.
We also see the story from the perspective of Detective Mick Blanke. The detective, though very much of his time, strives to be better than others around him which he shows in his behaviour towards Ruby. Mick too is an interesting character and interesting addition to this story. The author's vivid descriptions throughout the novel truly had me feeling like I was either there or that I could see it. Small descriptions from this author had me knowing exactly what the characters were doing. For example when Mick pinches his nose to make it look as though he's thinking but really he's trying to get a good sniff of the Vicks - I know exactly what face he is pulling.
Sunnylakes sells the suburban American Dream, where seemingly perfect famillies live in a seemingly perfect neighbourhood. But Stepford Wives, this is not. This neighbourhood has a lot of secrets. We are introduced to a group of housewives all struggling with their lives, self-medicating and getting secret support from their Women's Improvement Committee, away from the men in their lives. We are introduced to feminist themes with Joyce wanting to break free from her constricted lifestyle.
There are several themes explored in this book including, marriage, racism, a woman's role in society, prejudiced, inequality, feminism and much more. I initially judged this book by it's cover but the synopsis made me open those pages. Once I opened that cover I was hooked. The driving force of the narrative is the question - where is Joyce and what happened to her? We are drip fed clues throughout the story making for a tantalising read. I enjoyed reading this well paced mystery and constantly found myself in the twists and turns wondering what on earth happened to Joyce. I would highly recommend this book to mystery lovers, historical fiction fans and to anyone looking for a captivating story that you just can't put down.