August 2023

Sarah Pekkanen’s GONE TONIGHT is written in two voices. Ruth Sterling is 41 and is a fierce protector of her 24-year-old daughter, Catherine. Ruth left home when she became pregnant at 17, and it’s been just the two of them for years. When the book opens, Catherine is looking forward to relocating to Baltimore for a new job. Ruth does not want her to make this move, as it will bring her too close to something from Ruth’s past that she needs to keep left behind. As the novel unfolds, readers are given more looks into that past and why Ruth is so protective.

Ruth has been forgetting things. Small things. But it worries Catherine, who knows all the signs of Alzheimer’s as she works in a memory care facility. Is this what her mother has been hiding from her? She is now concerned about leaving her and changes those plans. But what really is going on with Ruth? Catherine starts to dig into her past with the few scraps of information that she has. She gets closer and closer to the truth --- dangerously so. At the same time, Catherine is a star at her work and clearly bonds with those living at the facility. Her job will work as the cover she needs as the action ramps up.

The story builds to a solid conclusion. But notes in the aftermath will give you pause and bring an “aha” moment about a lot of your thoughts on these women and what you just read.

Oh, and on a lighter note, when you finish the book, see if you want to look up a recipe for lasagna pizza like I did!