Hello!!! The last few books that we reviewed during Lil Red’s Book Club were massive duds. I didn’t have much hope for 48 Clues Into The Disappearance Of My Sister by Joyce Carol Oates because I was on such an unlucky streak. However, this book exceeded my expectations and then some. It was EXCELLENT and I devoured it in just three sittings. Without giving away any spoilers, as always, we are going to discuss this mystery further. Before we begin, a trigger warning will be placed for violence, disturbing content, and mental illness. Let’s get to it:
Homely Georgene (G) is nothing like her older sister, Marguerite (M). M is a successful sculptor, she’s beautiful, and has a lust for life. G, on the other hand, is bitter towards everything as she grew up in the shadow of the prettier, more popular sister. April 11th, 1991 is just an ordinary day. M is due to teach at a local college and G will be manning the desk at the post office. Then, G will return to the Tudor mansion she lives in with her father and M to find that her sister is not home.
Concern is immediate as M is nothing if not responsible and prompt. She would never miss classes and scheduled meetings without calling in advance and her colleagues and students are worried from the jump. By the following day, M is still not back and is officially a “missing person”. Leads are scarce with nothing but the path of her heeled boots through the woods to go off of that cut off once a road appears. M has seemingly disappeared without a trace.
Perhaps, the police officers and detectives would have had more to explore if G hadn’t removed M’s calendar and notebooks from her room before their home was searched. As the days since M has gone missing turn to weeks and weeks turn to months, G is even more sick of M than she was when she was still there. Everything is constantly “M, M, M,” even though G is the only remaining daughter. Even in M’s absence, she still is more loved than G.
M and G’s father refuses to give up the hope that M will return one day and goes as far as to hire a very expensive Private Investigator. Meanwhile, G follows other leads like M’s strange colleague at the college, Elke. Elke has all but planted himself into the investigation by alluding that he knows M’s secrets and potentially her whereabouts. But, is Elke just a convenient pawn to play with during a coverup? Did M really just disappear into thin air? That’s for the reader to decide!
48 Clues Into The Disappearance Of My Sister was told entirely from G’s perspective and it was wild. G is so clearly mentally disturbed and is constantly threatening people who upset her with strangulation. It is also hinted that she suffered a mental breakdown in the past after her mother’s death. I honestly had no idea what G was going to do or say next and it kept me turning the page ravenously.
Was G a likeable narrator? No. Not at all. I seriously couldn’t stand her. She was mean and bitter to the point of being cruel. She took delight in other people’s despair and it was almost hard to read. Despite G being a horrible person, Joyce Carol Oates’ writing style kept the book moving forward beautifully. It would have been easy to discard this book fairly quickly because of who G is, but I wouldn’t have dreamed of it because it was so well written. I will definitely be reading more from this author!
If you are a fan of creepy mysteries, then I cannot recommend 48 Clues Into The Disappearance Of My Sister enough. My best advice is to keep an open mind while you read so you can come to a conclusion that you are satisfied with. I will be awarding this book with the coveted ten out of ten stars!
What is your favorite Joyce Carol Oates book? What is your opinion on this book if you have read it? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah
Note that in the following section, I will share who I feel is responsible for M’s disappearance. 48 Clues Into The Disappearance Of My Sister never reveals a straight answer. If you are interested in reading this book, please skip over this!
Because it was up to the reader to solve the mystery of M’s disappearance, I am okay with sharing my opinion even though it is, technically, a spoiler. I am 150% positive that G killed her sister and this entire book seemed like her covering up rather than searching for clues. There are SO many things that G lets slip throughout the book that come up suddenly and aren’t brought up again. However, each and every one of these instances showed guilt to me and I can’t think of any reason why it wasn’t her.
I would definitely consider all of the potential suspects in this book to be Red Herrings. There is not one piece of evidence throughout the book that led me to believe that anyone else could be guilty. I also find it hard to comprehend why M, whose success in the art world has only just begun, would willingly walk away from the life she built. After finishing this book, I wondered if I had my blinders on so much that I was unwilling to accept another solution. However, if you really read it, it will tell you everything you need to know to solve the case.
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