First time Lisa Jewell reader over here!
Invisible Girl focuses on the disappearance of Saffyre, a 17 year old girl with a huge trauma that she’s carried around with her since she was 10. I really liked this character and her story.
As the novel develops, we meet a range of people who are embroiled in Saffyre’s life in some way. It’s a typical “whodunnit” with a long list of suspects (although the police only questioned one- Owen, the weird incel neighbour of the Four family).
The book is written from more than one perspective, which adds an interesting layer to it. I like that we get the narration from not just the protagonist.
As with any thriller, I don’t want to give too much away. I felt that a few too many subplots were brought in, and the very end (not the big reveal- which I cleverly predicted, btw) felt like a weird, unnecessary add-on. It was as though a word count needed to be met and the author was only 100 words away. It was an enjoyable enough read and it got me out of my work-is-too-busy reading slump.
As a side note, Jewell’s acknowledgement at the end is unlike anything I’ve ever read. She basically thanks herself for writing it. I didn’t know whether to eye-roll at the arrogance or applaud the empowerment. I think the latter, as why shouldn’t an author credit themselves for the months of hard work that goes into writing a novel?!
Overall, an easy read that has hopefully put a bit of literary rain on my reading drought.
⭐️⭐️⭐️ from me. And my next read is another Lisa Jewell book! I can’t wait for the acknowledgments already 🤣😂
