Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel

She takes a fairly original approach to it, entering the story of the kidnapped girl from the other perspective, following her on a path of constant gain, loss and longing. If you are familiar with some of Emily Mandel‘s other works, then you’ll know the theme of personal loss is one she tends to explore more commonly than others, and this is also the case with this first debut novel of hers. However, the man himself is having some doubts: does he want to resolve the case he was hired for, or does he too want to disappear somewhere into the vast world, lost amidst a sea of people. However, she isn’t alone, shadowed by a private detective hired to locate her. One night, she leaves her Brooklyn apartment to follow a trail leading her all the way to Montreal. Lilia understands she can never find happiness until she actually leaves on her own, hopeful to find the childhood and memories stolen from her all these years ago. They’ve been going around like this for as long as Lilia can remember, and with time her memories of her own childhood fade away into nothingness. In essence, she got kidnapped by her own father, and ever since then they have been moving around from one town to the next, her disappearance remaining a mystery before the eyes of the law. The story begins way back when Lilia was still a child, and her father suddenly appeared on her mother’s doorstep to take Lilia away. John Mandel, who were never given a chance to have a place in life, and must claim it by the power of their own hands. However, there are also those like Lilia Albert, the protagonist of Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. In modern times, this place we have in life tends to be less of a sure thing, with us being exposed to so many potential paths and options around the world. Most of us are born into this life with already somewhat of a predetermined place in the world, largely by virtue of our geographical location and the circumstances surrounding our birth.

Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel