"It was the summer of her Chevette, of J.P., and letting her hair grow. It was also the summer when, without warning, college-bound Kim Larsen disappears," (from the back cover).
Songs for the Missing is written in the aftermath of Kim's disappearance from the view of her parents, sister, best friend, and boyfriend. None of their lives will ever be the same without Kim and everything moving forward is thought of in relation to how it would've been if Kim were around.
I first saw a review for this book in the
Washington Post book reviews in 2008. The review made the book sound very interesting and I immediately put it on my to-read list. When I saw it at Books-A-Million for $1.00, I picked it up. Sadly, I didn't find the book to be as interesting as the Washington Post reviewer did. Yes, the book was well written and heart-wrenching, but I found it slow and drawn out.
Songs for the Missing reminded me a lot of
The Lovely Bones, without the excitement and intrigue of knowing what happened to Susie and seeing things from her perspective. Where
Lovely Bones excelled in keeping me intrigued from start to finish,
Songs for the Missing lost me after a couple of chapters. Kim disappears, her family searches for her, her family and friends adjust (as well as anyone can) and move on. But the same story could have been written in 150 pages rather than the 300 O'Nan used.
I've been curious about this one. Thanks for the honest review. Reviews like this one really help with deciding on what to read or not read.
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