‘The Missing Hours’ by Julia Dahl. Minotaur, 288 pages, $25.99
Julia Dahl sets aside her award-winning Rebekah Roberts series for a provocative and timely standalone novel about revenge, sexual assault and manipulation with a lead character who is not completely sympathetic. At times, “The Missing Hours” is an uncomfortable read but never dull as Dahl keeps the plot briskly churning.
NYU freshman Claudia Castro comes from a wealthy background — her father is a music producer, her mother a former model. But privilege comes with a price tag. Claudia and her older sister Edie pretty much raised themselves as their self-centered parents were often traveling. Now their parents are on the verge of breaking up and Claudia is featured in a documentary about entitled rich kids out of control.
Spending spring break in her dorm, Claudia wakes up beaten and hungover, with no memory of what happened. Then, a video of her either having sex or being attacked — it’s unclear which — is circulated. Given her antics on the documentary and habit of drinking too much, Claudia doesn’t think anyone would believe she was assaulted.
The only person she trusts is fellow student Trevor Barber, who lives across the hall. As Claudia tries to remember what happened, she begins to construct her own revenge.
Claudia isn’t the most sympathetic character, but Dahl succeeds in making the reader care about her. Given her upbringing and her parents’ years of neglect, Claudia’s behavior is understandable.
“The Missing Hours” proves that money, status and fame doesn’t bring happiness or peace of mind. But then, we all knew that.
Grand Canyon terror
‘Getaway’ by Zoje Stage. Mulholland, 368 pages, $28
Lifelong friendships, the beauty of nature and the violence of man converge in an exciting thriller that begins on a high note and accelerates from there in “Getaway,” Zoje Stage’s third novel.
In high school, Imogen Blum and her sister, Beck, considered their friend Tilda Jimenez their third sister as the three were inseparable. While they now occasionally get together for a museum visit or high tea, Imogen and Tilda hadn’t had a serious conversation in years, the result of an incident a decade ago.
Beck is now a physician; Tilda a motivational speaker with a six-figure book deal; Imogen a novelist with low sales. Imogen was “alternately proud of their success, and envious of how easily they moved through the chaos of ordinary life.”
Following a traumatic incident, Imogen retreated to “her hermit’s cave.” To help Imogen, Beck suggests “the balm of nature,” a weeklong backpacking trip in the Grand Canyon for the trio. The trip would repair their friendship and allow them to recharge.
The Grand Canyon is a curative — where one could stand in one place all day and the light would change, “with each passing minute a new landscape would emerge.” The trail is hard, requiring stamina and strength, but it is not insurmountable as thousands of people annually hike the canyon. While resentments erupt on the rocky trail, the three face real dangers when it appears someone is stalking them.
“Getaway” succinctly contrasts the breathtaking views with the terror that man can inflict. Nature is full of hidden perils but the women learn they can face any danger if they rely on each other.
Stage delivers a thrilling mystery with appealing characters, but the Grand Canyon is the real star of “Getaway.”
Oline H. Cogdill can be reached at olinecog@aol.com.
