Review - The Girl who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson

Laurel can see ghosts. At least, she had always seen them, until she married her husband, David. Then they stopped. So when the ghost of her daughter's friend, Molly, appears to her just minutes before she finds Molly's dead body in her swimming pool, Laurel knows something is bad wrong. As she tries to find out what happened to Molly, she uncovers ghosts from her own childhood, and secrets her daughter is keeping from her as well.

Having read and enjoyed Jackson's previous two novels, I was really, really excited for this one. I was expecting another complex, layered novel about buried family secrets and the possibilities of redemption. I expected a fascinating heroine, and well-developed supporting characters. I don't think I quite got either of those. About halfway through the novel, I had the sinking feeling that I knew where it was headed - unfortunately, I was almost 100% correct. I also found myself irritated with Laurel, the main character, throughout much of the novel. Her sister, Thalia, was much more interesting and complex. There were a couple of characters who could have been equally interesting, but just didn't ever get completely fleshed out. I think maybe I just had my expectations up too high, since I had loved both of her previous novels so much. I still enjoyed this one, but it didn't quite hit the highs I was expecting.

Finished: 6/9/09
Source: Franklin Avenue public library
Rating: 6/10