Someone here already reviewed this and I’m kind of sad to submit another repeat review. BUT I read it and I gotta count it!
“This is the story of how my best friend disappeared. How nobody noticed she was gone except me. And how nobody cared until they found her . . . one year later.” That’s actually a pretty good summary of this book, supplied by the main character, 14-year-old Claudia. She and Monday have been thick as thieves most of their lives, other than summers that they spend separated when Claudia goes to visit extended family. The summer before their 8th grade year, though, Monday won’t answer her phone — it is disconnected. Monday won’t reach out to her either and doesn’t show up for the first day of school, or the next, or a whole week.
The adults in Claudia’s life don’t seem concerned about this, so it is on Claudia to try to figure out where her best friend is. Monday’s mother and sister aren’t giving out much information, and what they do is conflicted. She’s being homeschooled, she went to her dad’s, she went to her aunt’s, she doesn’t want to talk to you. Through flashbacks, we see how close the two girls were, how they defended each other from the cruel kids at school, how Monday often showed up for class worse for wear, how she helped Claudia pass her classes. Without her friend, Claudia is lost — failing out of school, acting out at her enemies and sneaking out of her home to visit Monday’s low-income housing again and again. When the adults in her life finally come around to worrying too, it is hard to see it making a difference.
I’m a huge fan of Jackson’s debut novel Allegedly, another book inspired by a true case. This book was similar in its focus on the social issues that lead to tragedy. It was inspired by two actual cases as well as the issue of how missing girls of color are neglected by the community. Coincidentally she finished her first edit when the #missingDCgirls stories started trending. It was also similar in that it ended on a twist. But it was, despite its difficult subject matter, an easier book to read than Allegedly, I think because it was told by Claudia who is lucky to be in a loving family and supportive community. Luckily I made up for that by listening to the podcast episode of the case it was based on, which has satisfied my true crime curiosity for a long time coming. YIKES.
Jackson does a great job of showcasing how a young person could go missing for so long. It’s horrifying, and I like to think as an adult I’d have listened better to Claudia, but you see where people get wrapped up in their own lives and brush off the worry (or ignore it for their own reasons). Even Claudia herself has to put things on hold to deal with her own life, as she struggles with making new friends, her learning disability, a boy she likes — all facets of the story that are balanced well with the main focus of the novel.
The narrative was at times perplexing, with the mix of flashbacks. The timetable is not at all clear. The reasoning for this style of writing becomes apparent, but at times it was frustrating to juggle. And while I had an idea of where Monday’s story was leading, the desire for justice for both her and Claudia was a good motivator to trust the author and push through the timeline weirdness.
Oh, and I loved learning about go-go music and enjoyed some by The Junkyard Band when I finished!
I’d recommend this to fans of her first book or fans of books inspired by true crime.