The Girl Who wasn’t There

Today’s post is on The Girl Who wasn’t There by Penny Joelson. It is278 pages long and is published by Sourcebooks. The cover is black with a window in the center and girl in outline. The intended reader is someone who likes young adult thriller novels. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this novel. The story is told from first person close of main character Kasia with interludes from the mysterious girl. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- I know what I saw.

Nothing ever happens on Kasia's street. And Kasia would know. Her illness keeps her home for days at a time, with little to do but watch the world from her bedroom window. So when she witnesses what looks like a kidnapping, she's not sure she can believe her own eyes...

So she sets out to find the only other witness. The girl in the window across the street. The girl who was also watching when things went down.

But what Kasia discovers shocks her more than the kidnapping itself.

There is no girl.

Review- This is a very fun YA thriller a la Rear Window. Kasia is dealing with a kind chronic fatigue syndrome so she’s living at home all the time. One night she sees a young woman get pulled into a car as she was fighting with a man. Kasia calls the police and she notices that there is a girl in the house across the street  and she knows that no girl lives there. That is the start of the journey with Kasai and the hidden girl. The writing is solid, the characters are great, and the story is an interesting pull between Kasai’s life of school and her disease with the hidden girl in the background but always there. I really enjoyed this novel and I would recommend this for a nice thriller with some good slice of life as the base. 

I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.