Book Review: "When She Returned" by Lucinda Berry

Lucinda Berry very rarely misses when it comes to shocking thriller literature. I reviewed her book Saving Noah and the one thing that I was constantly thinking was how terrifying the book was without being gory. It was far more conceptual. I would like to say that this book is along the same lines, dealing with difficult topics and lots of tension. However the one thing I could not ignore was the fact that there were a few contradictions and questions that were constant throughout the book for me. I'm not sure whether that was a drafting issue or done on purpose though I cannot see how it would have been done on purpose at all.

The book starts off with a woman named Kate and she's carrying a baby in her arms - a girl named Shiloh. She's running around calling for help and the issue here is that she's been missing from her family for eleven years. When her husband, Scottm finds out that she has been found alive his entire world is tossed upside down once more. He was the main suspect in her disappearance, lost friends, joined support groups and ultimately moved on with another woman - Meredith. His daughter, Abbi, barely remembers her mother but when she finally meets her, this isn't the woman she has fading memories of. Once a vibrant and princess-like woman, according to her eldest daughter, Kate has turned into a greying and aged woman who looks as though she had once been subjected to horrific torture. But once back, there's something not quite right. And where has this seven-week-old baby come from?

One thing I want to say is that I love books about cults and this aspect of the book didn't disappoint so I would have been willing to forgive the inconsistencies of the text if they weren't so in-your-face. First of all, there's the comment that Meredith makes about Scott - stating that in meetings he's a quiet and shy guy who prefers to talk over text. But in the same breath, she seems to also state that he talks endlessly in meetings about his missing wife. Which one is it? The other problem I have is that there were so many people who knew that there was a cult involved but nobody thought to investigate them or even ask them about what had happened in accordance to the family? There wasn't one person who thought things were a little up in the air even when Abbi was talking directly to them? I mean, it just seems a little less believable than the other books I have read by Lucinda Berry even though it was still entertaining.

The narrative goes between Meredith and Abbi, and later on Kate becomes one of the narrators. I would say that I'd like to keep an open mind about the adult women of the novel but they both seem a little oblivious for both of them being intelligent women. I was very surprised at Kate because when we see her initial narratives, they are written in the past back when Abbi was a baby. What we see is a woman who proclaims her intelligence but then...well, you'll see what happens when you start reading the book. The other thing I wasn't too sure about was the ending. It doesn't end in the typical way that a Lucinda Berry normally does. It's a little frustrating and abrupt and though there are some answers, there are many questions left unanswered as well. I wasn't too much of a fan of the ending because there's a big mistake on Scott's part that I cannot believe someone would actually make given the circumstances of the latter part of the book. You'll understand once you read the book - but of course, I'm avoiding spoilers.

All in all, yes the book was entertaining. But there were many issues which I could not ignore whilst reading which would make me feel taken out of the narrative a bit. Again, I'm not going to give up on Lucinda Berry - so far, I have enjoyed very many of her books and this is the only real hiccup. I wouldn't skip over it though because it was still very much, enjoyable.