One Puzzling Afternoon
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15
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for readers of Elizabeth is Missing with notes of The Maid comes a dual-timeline novel that balances heartfelt tenderness with a suspenseful mystery as elderly Edie Green uncovers the clues behind her best friend's disappearance before the truth is lost in her memory forever I kept your secret Lucy. I've kept it for more than sixty years... It is 1951, and at number six Sycamore Street fifteen-year-old Edie Green is lonely. Living with her eccentric mother and her mother's new boyfriend, she is desperate for something to shake her from her dull, isolated life. So when the popular, pretty Lucy Theddle befriends Edie, she thinks all her troubles are over. Even though Lucy has a secret, one Edie is not certain she should keep. Then Lucy goes missing. Now in 2018, Edie is eighty-four and still living in the same small town, when one afternoon she glimpses Lucy Theddle, still looking the same as she did at fifteen. Her family write it off as one of her many mix ups, there's a lot Edie gets confused about these days. But Edie knows she's the key to finding Lucy. Time is running out and Edie must piece together the clues before Lucy is forgotten forever.
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I just finished One Puzzling Afternoon by Emily Critchley and here are my thoughts.
For 60 years she kept a secret. A secret that was not hers.
When Lucy befriends 15 year old Edie she cannot believe her luck! Lucy is pretty and popular, all the things Edie is not. Lucy has a secret, something Edie isn't sure she can keep to herself then Lucy disappears.
Edie is now eighty-four and still living in the same small town. No one believes her when she says she saw Lucy, 15 year old Lucy in the street. Edie gets confused a lot but not about this. She knows only she can figure out what happened to Lucy before she is gone forever.
This was one of those books that kind of settle on you in a deep impactful way. It was one of those books that takes all the emotions with gripping intrigue and an aura of mystery that will have you wishing the book would never end.
I am not usually a fan of dual timelines but this worked really well for me and the book flowed like a beautiful lyrical river. The prose was heartfelt and I really enjoyed that the author did a bang up job of researching for this book.
I loved the mystery elements in this book and I could really feel the effects dementia has on a person and their family. It was quite an incredible read and while the pace was slower than I normally enjoy, I found the whole book very entertaining and it will definitely be a book I will be thinking about for a long time to come. If you are looking for something light and uplifting, this is not the book for you. It's quite devastating and if you aren't prepared for it, it will hit you hard.
4.5 stars. Wow just wow! Loved every moment.
Thank you to @bookmarked and @netgalley for both gifted copies.
