Reviews
“[T]he delicacy of [Young’s] writing elevates the drama and gives her two central characters depth and backbone…For all the beauty of Young’s writing, her novel is a dark one, full of pain and loss. And the murder mystery that drives it is as shocking as anything you’re likely to read for a good long while.”
— The New York Times Book Review
“Heather Young’s debut is a novel of quiet intensity that builds to a terrifying climax. The Lost Girls contains echoes of Kate Atkinson’s Case Histories and is just as haunting.”
— The Minnesota Star Tribune
“Heather Young’s debut novel, The Lost Girls, is a book that does exactly what a good book is supposed to do: it grabs the reader by the throat and does not let go until the very last page.”
— The New York Journal of Books
“Young juggles each narrative skillfully, noting the terrible ways in which secrets and evasions shape our lives — and how even when it seems unlikely, redemption is always possible.”
— The Miami Herald
“Young does a masterful job contrasting Lucy’s long-ago summer, her last happy one, with Justine’s dawning knowledge of how the effects of a family tragedy echo down through the years.”
— The Toronto Star
“Beautifully written, THE LOST GIRLS will please suspense fans as well as those who love redemptive fiction. This is a big, bold, heart-wrenching book reminiscent of novels by Jodi Picoult, and is an excellent debut.”
— Book Reporter
“Into Lucy’s intimate recitation author Heather Young weaves the story of Justine’s nomadic life, incrementally turning up the tension that transforms a beautifully crafted work of historical fiction into a brilliant psychological thriller that rivals Shirley Jackson’s finest work. Highly recommended.”
— Historical Novel Society
–“This book has it all — intrigue, complicated relationships, and a thrilling plotline.”
— Bustle
“Young’s summation: the patriarchy hurts women and girls, but it hurts men and boys just as much. This might not be news, but in Young’s hands it feels startling and essential.”
— BookPage
“Suspenseful and finely wrought, Young’s tale is not easily forgotten.”
— Booklist
“Young’s intricately wrought family drama tarries over details of time, place, and emotion as it gradually reveals her debut’s tragic core.”
— Kirkus
“Heather Young has crafted a gorgeous book that moves artfully back and forth through time, weaving a suspenseful tale steeped in generations of family secrets. Places hold memories, The Lost Girls reminds us so beautifully; places shape us, bind us, haunt us, but sometimes, they can redeem us, too.”
— Jennifer McMahon, New York Times bestselling author of The Night Sister
“Heather Young’s clear, unsentimental writing is bracingly observant, psychologically astute, and suspenseful. Her characters include people who cannot love, people who destroy what they love-and people who slowly, agonizingly, figure out what love actually is. From its opening…to its troubling, thrilling conclusion, I found this novel irresistible.”
–Alice Mattison, author of When We Argued All Night and The Book Borrower
“I was swept into The Lost Girls on the very first page…Heather Young weaves a captivating, multi-layered story that you won’t want to put down.”
—Vanessa Diffenbaugh, international bestselling author of The Language of Flowers and We Never Asked for Wings
“Heather Young is a master weaver of plot, time, and character. Her prose is confident, her story ambitious. The result—The Lost Girls—is a haunting and dynamic debut that never falters.”
— Ivy Pochoda, author of Visitation Street
“The Lost Girls follows sixty years in one bloodline; each character, in her turn, is haunted by the lakeside disappearance, many summers ago, of a little girl named Emily. As the twisting tale unfolds, hidden secrets, scandals and sorrows are revealed as we discover what really happened to Emily; the truth offers up reconciliation, and, ultimately, redemption for all of the women left in her wake.”
— Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, New York Times bestselling author of Bittersweet and June
“Told with finesse and an unflinching eye, The Lost Girls examines the bond between sisters, what it means to keep a promise, and how one family’s secrets can stretch across generations. Once she’s got you – and it happens fast – Heather Young keeps you turning pages until the novel’s stirring conclusion.”
— Tara Conklin, New York Times bestselling author of The House Girl