In this event, you’ll learn

• How soon did you guess what really happened to Ellie, and if you did, did it affect your enjoyment of the book?

• What "warning signs" referred to in the prologue might Ellie have spotted if she’d been more aware?

• Why Lisa thinks Jewell’s portrayal of Laurel and her journey was realistic?

• How did you feel about how relationships were represented in the book?

• Do you think how they met as teenagers will have a negative impact on their future, or is that too far in the past to impact them?

About the Author

Lisa Jewell is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of eighteen novels, including The Family Upstairs and Then She Was Gone, as well as Watching You and I Found You. Her novels have sold more than 4.5 million copies internationally, and her work has also been translated into twenty-five languages.

Overview

The following version of this book was used to create the guide: Jewell, Lisa. Then She Was Gone. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2017.

Laurel Mack is an average mother, raising her family as best she can in her home in London, England. She has three children and a loving husband. One afternoon, her youngest daughter, 15-year-old Ellie, goes missing on her way to the library to study.

Ellie Mack does not come home. The investigation into her disappearance returns no results. For ten years, Laurel has lived a life of sadness, hoping beyond hope that she may see her daughter again, happy and healthy. This hope is vanquished when the remains of Ellie’s body are found in a ditch.

While trying to move on from her daughter’s death, Laurel becomes acquainted with a man Floyd Dunn. The two begin a relationship and soon thereafter, Laurel meets his daughter, Poppy. She can hardly contain herself when she sees Poppy for the first time, as she looks identical to her lost daughter.

Noelle Donnelly was Ellie’s math tutor until Ellie one day asks Laurel to cancel Noelle’s sessions. Before Ellie's disappearance, Noelle had started to act strangely with Ellie, asking her questions about her hopes and dreams. As it turns out, Noelle had become obsessed with Ellie. To her, this young woman was perfect and beautiful. She did not take the rejection well.