Recently, I finished reading A Different Kind of Gone by Catherine Ryan Hyde. This novel presents several related scenarios where there are questions of what’s right and what’s wrong.
Intro to the Story
In this book, Norma is a woman in her late 50s. She lives in a small rural community along the Utah-Arizona border. People often get lost in the forest area around their community. Norma is part of the area’s search and rescue team. During one search, Norma finds the missing woman, a 19-year-old named Jill. Jill begs Norma not to tell anyone she’s been found. Jill explains that if he boyfriend, Jake, can find her, he will kill her. Instead, Jill wants Norma to help her escape.
Norma is faced with a dilemma where there isn’t a clear right or wrong answer. Should she let people know she’s found Jill alive and potentially put Jill’s life in danger, or should she help Jill escape and establish a fake identity?
Right or Wrong?
This was a very enjoyable book. It’s one of those books that really gets you thinking. It reminded me of an ethics class I took about 20 years ago in college. Our main character and other characters throughout the story face some moral dilemmas where there is no right answer. At times, it felt like what was morally right and what was legally right were in conflict. It made me think a lot about what I would do in different characters’ positions. For most of them, I’m really not sure what I would do.
For me, the plot itself makes this book something well worth reading. It really does have a lot of places where there isn’t a right choice. No matter what choice Norma or one of the other characters makes, it’s going to influence someone else’s life negatively. In many cases, they have to decide which decisions have the less potential for a negative outcome when it comes to innocent lives and whether they can live with the results of their choices.
Potentially Sensitive or Offensive Topics
This book does include some swearing. I’d say maybe around 8 swear words total, all either the “d-word” or the “h-word.” While there are no sex scenes or graphic violence scenes on the page, the book does discuss some potentially difficult/sensitive subjects. This includes domestic violence, unjust justice systems, lying to the police, fake identities, murder, attempted murder, and other related potentially difficult subjects. I feel like all of these were handled in sensitive ways while also leaving the reader thinking.
Overall, I would give this book 4.5 stars. There were a few places where the story didn’t make logistical sense. In some cases, I’m okay with a story not making sense, but when it deals with such serious issues, I want it to make sense the whole way through. Not to spoil anything, but my biggest issue deals with how well Jill is able to hide her identity once she does escape from the abusive boyfriend. It just feels like she’s not really hiding even. Despite these small issues, I rounded up because this was a very enjoyable book.
