Author: Kiersten Modglin
Genre: Thriller, Suspense
Rating: ❤❤❤
Backstory
Hi Friends, I'm back with another hot take on the books I have been reading. (I'm still not sure how I feel about this opening line.) I have read another Kiersten Modglin novel. She is quickly closing in on Colleen Hoover in the amount of books I've read by one specific author. I came across this one when I was searching for The Amendment. Made plans to read this one and a few others I had purchased by Kiersten once I was done with that wild 2 part series. Mrs. Modglin is a psychological thriller author whose story plots always pack a punch. There are so many twists and turns involved, it hardly ever ends up the way you believe it will. And even if you do manage to catch on and figure out the ending, there will always be a few twists you still didn't see coming.
One of these days I would like to sit down with her and pick her brain a little about these twisty turny plots she has become so well known for. It takes an incredibly intelligent mind to be able to come up with these stories and keep the plots straight and make them believable. I am impressed. Consider me a fan, Mrs. Modglin. We have to come up with a fun name for your fan base. I will ponder on that while I read the rest of these novels from her collection.
If you're thinking I found these books from my favorite Facebook reading group, I wouldn't blame you, even though you'd be wrong. I did discover Kiersten through that group, but I found the next few titles I'm going to read by her on my own. Aren't you proud of me? If you aren't, you should be. At this point, my TBR list is just a mere suggestion because I keep pausing the progress I'm making through it to add another novel I've been sidetracked by. Maybe I'll finish it by the time I'm 50. Come back and ask me and see where I've landed on it. Anyway, enough rambling, let's get started.
Synopsis
Missing Daughter by Kiersten Modglin is a story about a missing daughter. Big shock there, right? Ginny and Cameron have a daughter named Skylar who had just recently turned three. Ginny struggles to connect with her daughter after the traumatic pregnancy/delivery and an ugly bout of postpartum depression. She loves her daughter but constantly struggles with the fact that she is unable to connect with her on the same level as her husband Cameron. Skylar is his world. The only thing that makes Ginny feel somewhat normal, are her sessions with her therapist and friend, Alex. Alex helps her process what she is feeling in a way that makes her feel less like a burden. Things seem to be going okay until the night of Skylar's 3rd birthday party when the unthinkable happens. Someone kidnaps their daughter. Ginny and Cameron are forced to confront their crumbling marriage in order to find their pride and joy.
My Thoughts
So, I picked up this book, excited to see what kind of rollercoaster ride Kiersten was going to take me on this time. I was eager to see what types of twists and turns would occur in the plot as Ginny and Cameron both struggle to cope with the kidnap of their daughter as well as the issues in their marriage. Kiersten did not disappoint.
Let's talk about Ginny first. She struggled very deeply with the relationship with her daughter. She felt inadequate in every way possible. Depression had her in a vice grip throughout the majority of the book. I appreciated that first hand look into women's mental health surrounding pregnancy and child birth. The experience is always advertised as a "blessing" and a "miracle" but what about the women whose body betrayed them while carrying their child? What about the women whose experience with childbirth was anything but pleasant? What are they supposed to do with their grief? I really appreciated that being addressed in the multiple chapters with Ginny's point of view.
I also appreciated how it highlighted the fact that sometimes the healing process can be selfish. Putting your mind and your body back together after a traumatic experience is never an easy process. It's not easy on the person or the people closest to them. Healing is not linear. Some days are better than others. I was super grateful to have that talked about in this story.
Cameron's point of view gave us an inside look on just how hard it is living with, and loving someone who is struggling with depression. You try your best to be understanding, but unless you are dealing with it yourself, sometimes it can be hard to truly be empathetic. Cameron struggled trying to be what Ginny needed as well as trying to keep his job and make sure their daughter was okay. That struggle left him feeling resentful and neglected. As hard as he tried to be there for his wife, he did have needs of his own. After a while, putting your own needs to the side for other people can become frustrating and upsetting no matter how much you love the person.
I really appreciated seeing the different sides of grief and trauma. The different perspectives of the same situation. It really shed light on the different sides of pain. How it starts quietly and continues to grow until it is all consuming. Grief and trauma shapes people in more ways than they may realize. This book was the perfect example of that.
I did only give it 3 hearts because there were a few moments that were a bit too drawn out for my liking. That may just be a personal preference though because I am always the one to get annoyed at the end of the movie by the villain's drawn out monologue. I understand it is just to explain the plots of the story that may not make sense to others but my goodness! Get on with it! I was able to figure out who did it, well before the end of the book. The real mystery was in the why not the who. The whydunit will definitely throw you for a loop with this one. I definitely recommend it. Not just for the thriller, but for the honest look at just how much postpartum depression can hurt everyone around it. If you decide to buy a copy, you can grab it here:
If you decide to read it, come back when you're finished and tell me if you felt the same. Were you able to figure it out too? Until then,
Happy Reading Babes! <3