THE BOOK FAIR

Review:

Zeno and Arlette Mayfield raised their two daughters, Juliet and Cressida in upstate New York.  The elder daughter, Juliet, known as the pretty one, is engaged to her high school sweetheart, Brett Kincaid, a veteran of the war in Iraq.  Cressie, the younger daughter, known as the smart one, feels ostracized from her family and friends, as she is unattractive.  Juliet, always responsible and reliable as well as warm and friendly, finds life easy.  Cressida struggles and carries the burden of the misfit, the artistic rebel.

When Cressida fails to return home one night, her family, the sheriff’s department and the community mobilizes and begins the search for her in the Adirondack Mountains nearby. 

The family is soon astounded to discover that Juliet’s fiancé, Brett, may have taken part in Cressie’s disappearance.  Brett Kincaid suffers PTSD and lives much of his days in the horror of flashbacks from the war.  Brett’s mother claims his innocence, denies the charges and hires an attorney.

Juliet finds her situation unbearable, torn between her disintegrating relationship with Brett and the possible loss of her sister.

 

The politically charged novel moves back and forth through time and is told through the characters viewpoints.