Half a World Away - Cath Staincliff

We were planning a trip to the country and came upon this one when I was looking for books based on China. I had never read Staincliffe and was glad to find her at my local library.

The premise sounded interesting, a mother letting her daughter go on gap year only to realise her worst nightmare had come true.

Gist:

Lori Maddox has just finished her university and wants to go travelling. Her separated parents Jo and Tom drop her off at the airport and go back to their lives. Jo now has a new partner Nick and two young sons. In the beginning Lori keeps on updating them on her life through her blog, "Lori in the Orient" but then the updates stop coming. Jo and Tom begin to worry and then start calling for help.

Lori had moved to China to take up a English tutor job before she disappeared. Unable to find out anything 5000 miles away, Jo and Tom travel to Chengdu in the Sichuan province to track their daughter down. They get in touch with her life and try to find out what happened even as they realise that with each day of her disappearance, their chances of finding her is getting dim...

What works:

The opening scene of dropping their daughter off at the airport, the tension between the exes is captured well.

The characters are well etched. Nick, Tom, Lori and Jo sound like people we know. Easy to relate characters. Loved the way she establishes their personalities.

The way she describes China from a tourist point of view is endearing. I almost felt that I was travelling with Lori when she writes about her experiences. Also love the way Staincliff captured a gap year student's voice.

Staincliff is great with showing relationships. Loved the way the shift in relationships occur due to this life changing incident.

What doesn't:

The momentum sags a bit in the second half as the story reaches its high point - the reveal. Although it backs on track towards the end, the neat tying up of loose ends.

Overall, a good read. If only the reveal was handled properly, it would have been a great read, but nonetheless a good read. I enjoyed reading a story set in China. Read it for that novelty alone.