Synopsis: In a coastal town on the Outer Carolina Banks, David Ribault and Merrill Poulnot are trying to revive their stale relationship and commit to marriage, and a slick developer claiming to be related to a historic town hero, Rawson Steele, has come to town and is buying up property. Steele makes a romantic advance on Merrill and an unusual 5 a.m appointment outside of town with David. But Steele is a no-show, and at the time of the appointment everyone in the town disappears, removed entirely from our space and time to a featureless isolated village–including Merrill and her young son. David searches desperately but all seems lost for Steele is in the other village with Merrill.
Review: The first thing that I can say about this novel is its unusual appearance. Indeed, if we focuse on the spine of the volume, we can see different lengths of the pages, giving a very pretty appearance to the novel. I confess that this kind of esthetic change is always a point that attracts me a lot even if it does not really do anything with the story. Besides, let’s talk a little more about that… I’m always quite intrigued by small town stories and the disappearance of all the people, even though it is a fairly common theme, is always really interesting.
We follow several characters alternately here without it being too consistent. Either we really have three different characters but two are truly and primarily emphasized. David is the companion of Merrill but since the arrival of a stranger in the city, Steele, his relationship with his half is not really rosy. Wanting to settle the case during an appointment, David joins the man to explain himself, but Steele never shows up and when our hero decides to go home, he realizes that all the inhabitants of the city have disappeared. But our man is determined to find his beloved and to understand what happened at all costs.
Alternatively, therefore we follow Merrill and through her, the inhabitants of the city. They find themselves in a strange place that no one understands the location or the purpose. Highlighting the fears of the population, everyone reacts rather violently but our heroine is determined to take it all calmly. Trying to do the best with respect to her son Ned (the third point of view that we can follow from time to time), Merrill will try to find a way to save him from her father and to find a way out from this unpredictable location.
The story is quite intriguing and I admit that I was curious to see what exactly this disappearance and mysterious village were. So I waited impatiently for the end but I think I was disappointed by the lack of answers we receive. There is also no real action here as it is mainly tracking the feelings of the characters in the changes they undergo. So it’s true that at the end of history I’m a little confused and I would have liked to understand a little more overall. But that does not change the fact that the story is very intriguing and we remain curious throughout the chapters. A different book.
blodeuedd
I always hate lack of answers :/
Melliane
me too…
anna (herding cats & burning soup)
Oh that sounds very different in look. I do like small towns and disappearances too. Very intriguing. Bummer on the lack of answers though.
Melliane
yes, different and interesting but maybe I missed something
Tracy Terry
It sounds to me that perhaps more thought was put into the cover than the book itself, that the main aim was to make the book different.
A shame you were ultimately disappointed by this one despite being intrigued by it.
Melliane
yes I’m a but sad about that but beautiful book
Jenny @ Supernatural Snark
Hm. Not sure about this one Melliane! I’m a girl who likes lots of answers by the time I reach the last page, so I think the lack of answers here would probably frustrate me as it did you. Still, I do like books that are unique, so I’m glad this one stood out as different:)
Melliane
yes that was nice about that
Brandi Breathes Books
Glad the mystery kept you going in this one. I like the cover too
Sarah @ One Curvy Blogger
I agree that packaging has a lot to do with book purchasing. I love the look of this book! Very pretty 🙂 I would be frustrated when the book didn’t reveal it’s secrets at the end, too.
Melliane
yes difficult…
Silvia
It really sounds intriguing, but I usually don’t like the lack of answers . . . *sigh* Well, at least it wasn’t a bad read for you, and it’s always nice to read something different once in a while 🙂
Melliane
no it wasn’t that terrible for that
Keionda@Keionda Hearts Books
I SOOOO tried to read your review in French as well and was surprised by how much I could understand. Woohooo! I also really like the cover. It gives it a different appeal and I think this as has to do with the focus of the disappearance in the book. 🙂
Melliane
Oh I’m glad you did!
Ramona
It’s terrible when a book ends without providing the reader with the answers to understand. You feel so cheated :\
Jennifer Bielman @ Bad Bird Reads
I hate not getting answers at the end.
kindlemom1
Okay I have to hug you because I love the different length pages too! They give the book like an old time feel and I love it! I know it has nothing to do with the story inside but it is cosmetically appealing to me for sure. 😉
I love small town reads as well, this sounds really interesting!
Melliane
yes it’s so pretty!
Paula M. @ Her Book Thoughts!
Aww itv sucks when all the answers you’re waiting for disappoints you. But this sounds really intriguing, I might check it out. Great review!! 🙂
Melliane
I hope you’ll like it if you try it
Lorna
This sounds like something that I would normally love to read, but lack of action and no answers will keep me from reading it. Thank you for your honest review 🙂
Melliane
I can understand
Kirsty-Marie
Yeah, I’m always interested in small town stories, it’s interesting to see the difference. Okay, the larger cast of characters might be a problem for me, but I think it would hook me enough to not be too bothered by it. Shame you don’t really get some answers, but at least you enjoyed it despite it. 🙂
Melliane
it’s not that large in fact.
Mogsy @ BiblioSanctum
Great review, Melliane, I see you and I had pretty much the same feelings. I really liked the idea behind the book and it had great atmosphere, but in the end the lack of answers and the ambiguous conclusion hurt the experience.
Melliane
yes it was difficult for the end
kimbacaffeinate
This sounds mysterious but the lack of answers at the end makes me nervous.