Leaving the World by Douglas Kennedy
Summary: Years after vowing to herself and her parents to never marry, have children and lead the resentful life they chose, Jane, now a Harvard professor, falls unexpectedly pregnant. Resolved as she’s been to childlessness, she begins to warm to the idea of motherhood, even with a partner who is increasingly absent. But a devastating turn of events takes the decision out of her hands in a way she could never have predicted.
Her familiar world torn apart, Jane feels forced to leave her old life behind. She resigns from her job, cuts all ties with friends and family and moves to a place where no one will find her. Isolated, she feels she has finally succeeded in leaving her world.
Yet when a young girl disappears, prompting a high-profile police investigation, Jane is drawn in. Convinced that the person at the heart of the case is much closer to her new community than anyone realises, she has to make a decision to either stay hidden or bring to light a shocking truth.
My Thoughts: I’m having a hard time pulling together my thoughts on this book. Its focus is loose, but it’s still engaging. What do I mean by a loose focus? Well, it doesn’t just cover Jane’s trauma and the aftermath, but also several years prior. It almost seemed to go too far back, but it really doesn’t. It’s long, but the back story helps explain how Jane got to where she was when she decided that the only recourse she had was to “leave the world.” Her home life as a child wasn’t a happy one, especially not once her father left. I do have to wonder, though, whether the time with David was all that necessary. I suppose maybe his death could have been the very beginning of Jane’s tailspin, but she seemed to recover from that OK.
The “devastating turn of events” referenced in the summary is extremely sad, and it is understandable why she hits rock bottom. It’s understandable (to a degree) why she’d want to run away from everything – and everyone – she knows and loves. When she becomes obsessed with the Ivy case, it was both believable and frustrating. I like how her pain over her tragedy helped her see the truth behind Ivy’s situation. Although I do find it hard to believe that the authorities didn’t dig as deeply as she did.
In all, it was an enjoyable book – despite the second half being quite dark. (The darkness is simply because Jane’s in a dark place.) Do I see myself reading this again someday? Possibly. I wouldn’t be opposed to the idea.
My Rating: 3.5 stars
Source: Received through Crazy Book Tours for review.
Read It: You can get your own copy HERE.
FTC Disclosure: All items reviewed were either obtained by me for my own enjoyment or sent (from the author, publisher, publicist, via tour sites, etc.) in exchange for an honest review. I receive no monetary compensation for my posts. All opinions expressed are my own.
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