Review of THE RETURN OF ELLIE BLACK by Emiko Jean

 3 Stars

Ellie Black is found after having gone missing two years earlier. Detective Chelsey Calhoun wants to find where Ellie was held, especially when it is discovered that other girls may be at risk. Ellie, deeply traumatized, refuses to co-operate with the investigation, but Chelsey is very invested in continuing; the death of Lydia, her sister, 20 years earlier destroyed her family, and she wants to help other families from suffering as hers did.

The novel provides Chelsey’s perspective but also that of Ellie. In Ellie’s sections, the reader learns about her abduction and imprisonment. As a consequence of this narrative approach, we sometimes know more than Chelsey does. Of course the name changes mean the reader doesn’t guess identities too quickly, and there is also some plot manipulation in not having Ellie reveal too much about her escape.

I found the characters, including the protagonist, flat. The death of Lydia and subsequent events in her family obviously affected Chelsey; most of her actions can be attributed to that trauma. Otherwise, there’s little of her personality developed. Intelligence is expected of a detective, but there’s little evidence of that because most of her discoveries are by luck or chance, not skill.

The book focuses on misogyny and does so in a heavy-handed way. There are statements like, “I wish this wasn’t what it means to be female – it is not a matter of if something bad will happen, but when” and “the most dangerous thing in the world . . . is unremarkable men with beautiful smiles and even bigger promises” and “When will it be enough? How society accepts women dying at the hands of men.” Then the ending suggests a simplistic explanation: misogyny is caused by family breakdown.

I had real issues with the later parts of the novel. The identity of the guilty is implausible but even more so of a problem is the reason for the behaviour. The motive for kidnapping, torture, rape, and murder is something that many people experience in their lives, yet in this novel three men react so extremely?! And the specific trigger for each kidnapping is also weak. The final twist is also not fair play because readers are misled about the fate of a character. This last soap opera turn of events cheapens the novel.

What’s with the name changes? I understand that they are used to obfuscate and keep the reader guessing as to characters’ real identities. But is there supposed to be significance behind the names (Hope, Charity, and Grace) with their religious overtones?

This is a quick read, but readers are expected to turn off their critical thinking at the end.