Girl Unknown: A Novel

David and Caroline seem to be getting back on their feet. Caroline just ended an affair, and they are working things out. She’s going back to work and David’s job at the university is going well. Their two kids, Robbie and Holly, are adjusting well to life after the scandal. Then one day, Zoe appears, claiming to be David’s daughter. She slowly works her way into their lives, causing disruption and chaos wherever she goes. This one Girl Unknown will expose the cracks in this family, shedding light on bonds that are not as unbreakable as we think they are.

Right from the prologue, you know that something bad is going to happen to someone, and it’s pretty easy to guess just from the book jacket description who it’s going to happen to. What you read on to discover, though, is who will be doing the murdering. There is hardly a person in this story who does not wish to do harm to Zoe. Even as the reader, I was having a hard time feeling sorry for her.

The chapters alternate from David’s and Caroline’s point of view. They are both telling the story in the past tense, as if remembering how it all started. I didn’t find any particular character endearing. Every person in this story was pretty broken by the time the plot is taking place. I think most characters were just looking out for themselves. However, that can be very much like reality, and this book was a great picture of how broken we can all be and how anger and unforgiveness can destroy families. There is some bad language and a slight sexual element, but overall, this is a great story depicting the depravity of humans. We are all capable of terrible things if put in the right circumstances.