Read: "Tomorrow River" by Lesley Kagen

Read: Tomorrow River by Lesley Kagen, 2010, 9780525951544.

Meh. 11 year old girl, Shenny, in 1969 Viriginia wants to find her missing mother. Mom has been missing a year and Sheeny's twin sister, Woody, has not talked since the night the mom disappeared. They still live on the family estate with their father, the local judge. The father is a violent drunk who locks them into the storm cellar when he is angry with them. Shenny still deeply loves her father and hopes for a return to the loving relationships the family used to have. Father forbids them to leave the estate and Shenny and Woody have to sneak off to visit friends and search for mom.

Comments:
1. Kind of a Southern Gothic/YA/Mystery/bildungsroman novel.
2. Touches on several social issues. Mainly on race relations and the treatment of women in society. Shenny is young and loves her father and is blind to how the dad was so controlling with the mom.
3. Depending on your view Shenny could come off as an idiot who is unable to see the many clues that point to a violent end to their mom. I can believe that Shenny was unable to see what was there. She is only 11 and trusting in her parents.
4. SPOILER: I think Kagen cops out by having the mom be alive in the end. I do like the happy ending, but it was not believable. Aw, heck. I like happy endings enough to swallow the plot's baloney but at least I know I am doing it.