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serendipitysbooks's review
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
The Missing Word was inspired by a real life missing children case in Switzerland. Twin six year old girls went to spend the weekend with their father. A few days later he took his life in Italy while the girls have never been seen again. In this novel the author imagines the mother’s perspective as she attempts to find out what happened to her children and cope with her loss. This book evoked sympathy for the mother, shock and anger at the lack of a meaningful police investigation, curiosity as to where the girls could be, and reflection as to why many languages lack a word akin to orphan or widow for a parent whose child has died. I enjoyed the style and structure especially the epistolary elements like letters and lists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping and Grief
Moderate: Child death
abbie_'s review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Kidnapping, and Grief
Based on a true story, the twins in this book have been missing since 2011, there is a theory that their father killed them. I use child death as a substitute for ‘child loss’, which is ironic given the main theme of the book