Everyone always does what Lorna says, especially her BFF, Jackie, her boyfriend, Finn, and Lucas, who is (not-so) secretly in love with her, too. When Lorna slips off the rocks in Provincetown on Cape Cod and into the icy Atlantic Ocean, her disappearance leaves a gaping hole in their lives. In Local Girl Swept Away, 17-year-old Jackie recounts the tense months after Lorna goes missing and how it affects their tight circle of friends.
Jackie’s initial disbelief and grief slowly give way to anger as she remembers the truth about Lorna. How easily Lorna could manipulate everyone, how she always seemed to get her way and captured Finn’s heart when Jackie loved him more. Slowly, Jackie begins to reclaim her independence, working on her photography and hoping, despite her fishing family’s expectations, to make a life as an artist beyond the Cape. She even discovers that there are other guys besides Finn, namely Cooper, an up-and-coming novelist, who’s cute, charming—and 30.
Just as Jackie starts to form secrets of her own, her taut narration takes on Gone Girl-style twists as she pieces together why Lorna disappeared. Author Ellen Wittlinger proves once again why she’s a master of realistic fiction, creating believable dialogue, events and emotions, especially as Jackie must decide if she’s still one of Lorna’s pawns in the end.
This article was originally published in the July 2016 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
