Gone Tonight - book review
Published in August 2023, Gone Tonight is a relatively short novel, written by the American author Sarah Pekkanen. In this book, Pekkanen tells the story of a mother -Ruth- and her daughter -Catherine- and the many secrets Ruth kept protecting Catherine from her past. However, as Catherine grows older and becomes more independent, she starts to unravel the truths that Ruth has so carefully hidden.
The narrative alternates between Ruth's and Catherine's perspectives, providing a deep dive into their thoughts and emotions, offering insights into their motivations and fears. With a dual timeline as Ruth writes about her past in her journal.
While the novel's primary focus is on the thriller aspect, it also delves into themes of trust, betrayal, and the lengths one will go to protect loved ones.
Premise, writing, and the plot:
There was nothing new about the premise, a typical single mom who moves her kid around as she runs from a terrible secret.
The writing style flowed easily, though i didn't connect with either Ruth or Catherine and ultimately didn't care about what happened to them.
The narrative lacked suspense and the pacing felt sluggish after certain chapters. While Catherine was digging into her mother’s past, Ruth kept talking about how she got a bag ready to run at any moment’s notice, these monologs became repetitive after a couple of chapters. I skimmed most of them at a certain point just to get to the climax.
There was really no plot, just Catherine playing detective and unvailing her mother’s lies, while Ruth ruminates about her past as she tries to keep up the charade that she has Alzheimer. There were no shocking revelations either, and the ending was a blink, and it’s over type of ending, which I didn’t like much.
While i’m yet to explore any of Pekkanen works, this one was just not for me, but i think some readers might enjoy it.
Dear friends,
Just wanted to drop a quick update on the lack of reviews.
Lately, I’ve been super busy job hunting, and it's been sucking the will to live out of me. Because of that, I haven’t been able to read or write as much as I’d like.
I miss getting lost in a good book and sharing my thoughts with you all, but right now, finding a new job is my top priority. I’m really excited about the opportunities ahead and can’t wait to get back to my usual reading and writing routine once things settle down.
I promise I’ll be back soon with more book reviews and posts. Until then, take care and happy reading!
