Without You

Starred review from April 28, 2014
At the start of this strong psychological thriller from British author Sarginson, her second novel after 2013’s The Twins, 17-year-old Eva Gale goes missing in a boating accident off the Suffolk coast in 1984. Her father, Max, who was sailing with Eva on that fateful summer day, is consumed with guilt. In the months that follow, Max and his wife, Clara, move in separate spheres of pain, barely able to attend to their younger daughter, Faith. Dreamy, unconventional Faith is steadfastly devoted to her belief that Eva has not drowned but is alive on the deserted Ministry of Defence testing island that the sisters sometimes explored. Readers soon learn that Billy, a conflicted ex-soldier, is holding Eva captive on the island. Sarginson vividly depicts the ways in which each person feels alone, whether in actual isolation like Eva or Billy, or in emotional isolation like the other family members, as she gradually reveals deeper secrets. Agent: Eve White, Eve White Literary Agent (U.K.).

May 1, 2014
Clara and Max find their marriage crumbling after their older daughter, Eva, is lost at sea on a boat trip with her father. What they don't realize is that the teen survived the accident but is being held captive by a mysterious stranger on an island off the coast of Suffolk, not far from shoreand not far from her family. Eva's little sister, Faith, is the only one who holds out hope that Eva is still alive, but no one wants to listen to a child. Clara suffers from nightmares, and Max falls into a depression, but neither one of them wants to confront the dark secrets that haunt their past and may inform the present. The narrative changes can be a bit jarring, moving from first-person, as each of the sisters gets a chance to tell the story, to third-person, as the past is revealed. Still, patient readers who enjoy atmospheric thrillers may appreciate the slow unfolding of this many-layered mystery.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)