The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel

The Roanoke Girls is a shocking tale, by Amy Engel, about a girl struggling with a closely held family secret. Forewarning, the dark family secret is hinted at very quickly. Yet, when it was revealed, I still found it very disturbing and revolting. The story, thou despicable at times, felt real. People and families alike have secrets just usually not of this magnitude.  I liked the main character of Lane a lot. She was so flawed and it worked so well for this story. Unfortunately, the supporting characters were somewhat lacking in depth.

The book shifts between the present and the past. In the present, Lane Roanoke receives a phone call from her Grandfather with the news that Allegra, her cousin, is missing and convinces her to return to Kansas. Lane returns with the intention of helping find her. As Lane proceeds with her search we get snippets of what happened the one and only summer she spent at Roanoke after her mother committed suicide.  Gradually the past is revealed and all the secrets that she has tried to bury comes to the forefront. The question is will they continue to haunt her or will she find some closure with her past so she can move on?

Dispute the dark nature of the story, I had a hard time putting the book down even when it was well past my bedtime.  The author did an outstanding job of walking that fine line between utterly revolting and totally compelling.

I received a copy of this book from Crown Publishing in exchange for my honest review.