Introduction

Then She Was Gone is a psychological thriller by British author Lisa Jewell. Set in present-day London, the story follows Laurel Mack, a mother of three struggling to cope with the disappearance of her teenage daughter, Ellie. Ellie vanished ten years ago at the age of 15, leaving her family devastated and heartbroken.

Laurel soon meets the charming Floyd and quickly falls for him. However, she is shocked to discover that Floyd's nine-year-old daughter is the spitting image of Ellie. This prompts Laurel to investigate Ellie's disappearance and discover shocking family truths from the past.

Jewell's novels often explore themes of family secrets, loss, trauma, and redemption. Then She Was Gone is no exception, which is why the book resonates with readers worldwide. In fact, many consider the novel to be Jewell's best work yet, as she skillfully presents a narrative centered on the characters' pursuit of truth and closure. 

Plot Summary

Laurel Mack lives a harmonious life with her husband Paul and their three children—Ellie, Hannah, and Jake—in the North London suburbs. One day, Ellie goes to the library to study but never returns, leading the police to suspect she may have run away.

Ellie's disappearance shatters the family. Paul and Laurel divorce, and Laurel becomes emotionally distant from her children. She maintains minimal contact with them and visits her mother in hospice once a week, but she feels unhappy.

A decade later, the police inform the family that they found Ellie's remains buried in a wood near Dover. The family arranges a funeral, which brings closure for Laurel. Determined to heal, Laurel undergoes a makeover and reconnects with her family, particularly Hannah and Jake, feeling regret for having prioritized Ellie over them.

She also grows closer to her mom and apologizes to Paul for not being herself after Ellie disappeared. She even begins dating an intriguing American named Floyd Dunn.

Laurel meets Floyd's daughter, Poppy, a lively nine-year-old who looks just like Ellie, and the two quickly form a close bond. While sorting through Floyd's mail one morning, Laurel discovers a letter addressed to Noelle Donnelly. The name seems familiar, so she asks Floyd about it, and he informs her that Noelle is Poppy's mother. Suddenly, Laurel recalls that Noelle was also Ellie's math tutor, whom Ellie had labeled as a "creep."

Laurel decides to investigate if there is any connection between Noelle and Ellie's disappearance. She searches Floyd's study and finds newspaper clippings related to Ellie's disappearance, dating back months before they even met. In Poppy's room, she discovers the two silver candlesticks someone stole from her home four years after Ellie vanished.

Floyd's other daughter, Sara-Jade (SJ), informs Laurel that she saw Noelle naked when she was eight months pregnant, but she did not have a baby bump. With her suspicions growing, Laurel researches and discovers Noelle's former residence in Ireland. Noelle's cousin invites her inside and gives her a tour of the house, including the basement, where they find hamster cages and a watermelon-flavored lip balm identical to Ellie's.

The story shifts to Noelle in the past, where she reveals how she became obsessed with the idea of a happy family life. She felt incredibly lonely and unable to maintain a relationship with anyone, so she believed that having Floyd's child would solve all of her problems. When she met Ellie, she saw her as the key to repairing her broken relationship with Floyd.

One afternoon, Noelle drugged Ellie and locked her in her basement. She purchased sperm from an online donor and used it to impregnate Ellie. She also bought hamsters because she...