Book Review - He's Gone

"But no man, no anyone, is ever just an angry person. They are tender, and silly, and confused, that's the problem. No person is ever just one thing, angry or unfaithful or critical or guilty or victimized or weak or strong; do you hear what I'm saying?"

                                                                                      -Deb Caletti, He's Gone

When Dani's husband goes missing, her worry for him is mixed with doubts about their relationship. She can't shake the feeling his disappearance might have been intentional. As her leads turn into dead ends, she's forced to take an honest look at herself and her marriage. And while she's being honest, there's a memory she knows she has to face.

This marriage is the second for both of them, built on the destruction of the ones that came before. Dani has a guilty conscience; she can't help but think she's paying the price for all the heartache she caused. When Ian goes missing, she begins to take responsibility for that and she also realizes that she made another mistake. She thought her second husband could rescue her from her first, but she was only repeating a pattern: out of the frying pan, into the fire.

The mystery element of this book is fantastic. It had me turning the pages hungrily and I didn't figure out the ending until I got there, which is refreshing and rare.

But the deeper part of this novel is Caletti's ability to create complicated, lovable, flawed characters you root for and are disappointed by and understand. No person is ever just one thing.