Fielding’s tale seems ripped straight from the headlines, and bears a striking similarity to the Madeleine McCann abduction years ago from a Portuguese resort, where the parents left the children sleeping alone while they went out to dinner; exactly what the protagonist do in this story. Fielding does a great job in depicting the heartbreak and guilt of the parent’s loss, the stigma that comes with being seen as potential suspects in their beloved child’s disappearance, the stress and burden placed on both the marriage and other children left behind, who are left to feel like they always fall short in comparison to this perfect child loved and lost.
As much as the tale has a whodunit factor to it, it’s really more of a family drama that movingly highlights how one tragic event can tear a family asunder. She’s Not There was a gripping and emotional read.
