(44)Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica

Monday, May 16, 2016


Quinn Collins wakes up one morning after a night out to find her roommate, Esther Vaughn, has gone missing.  Her window was left wide open in chilly Chicago and there is nothing to be found except a cryptic letter addressed to "My Dearest".   Quinn isn't worried at first, but as the hours pass the weirdness gets exponentially worse.  Like Esther was in the process of changing her name to Jane.  Or she had lined up interviews for a new roommate.  And then there is the former roommate who died under mysterious circumstances.  As the evidence mounts Quinn is convinced that somebody is out to kill her.   Could it be Esther? Or something much more sinister?

In Michigan, eighteen year old Alex goes to his job at the local diner.  Just as he has everyday for years. Part of his job includes taking meals to the recluse who lives across the street. It was while doing that Alex spies a woman who catches his eye, Pearl.  There is something about her that is enigmatic and alluring.  When he discovers that she is squatting in the abandoned house across the street he decides to seek her out.  As their relationship develops Alex starts to get the feeling that there is more to her than meets the eye.  Will he be able to piece everything together before it is too late?

Don't You Cry is a fast paced novel that is told from the two very different perspectives of Quinn and Alex.  Quinn is a young professional in the city and Alex is a poor boy living in rural Michigan. Their connection doesn't reveal itself until the very last pages of the book, and honestly it is a little bit of a let down.  Given the build-up,  I think I was expecting something a little more explosive.  I was more engaged in Quinn's part of the story, my favorite thing about the Quinn part of the story was her relationship with her colleague, Ben.  They had the kind of chemistry that was worthy of it's own story.  On the other hand, Alex's part of the story had a haunted house and classic ghost story. On their own, the stories are unique and mysterious, but the way the stories intersects is a little lacking.  In the end the secrets are revealed and they are nothing like what you expected.

Bottom line - Mary Kubica made a huge splash with her first novel, The Good Girl, but has been struggling to meet the high expectations set by her first novel.  Don't You Cry was a valiant effort that was *almost* there, but fell just a little short with the conclusion.  Don't give up on Mary Kubica, though, as a talented author Don't You Cry is still worth the read.

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