Book Review - Gather The Daughters by Jennie Melamed

Every summer the girls run wild.

Set on an isolated island, Gather the Daughter follows a series of girls on the verge of their 'fruition', where for one last summer they'll be allowed to roam free without any boundaries or rules before marrying and becoming mothers. The island follows strict rules, or 'shan't nots' which must be obeyed, whereby women must submit to fathers, and later husbands. There also appears to be no technology, or contact with people from outside the island, known as the 'wastelands'. However, one girl witnesses something during this summer that will unravel the truth on the island, and things will never be the same.

This was disturbing, confusing and unsettling in equal measures. The plot hints at things rather than describing them explicitly, meaning the reader has to put the mysteries of the island together themselves through a series of flashbacks and current events  from the older girls narratives. I enjoyed Vanessa and Janeys narratives the most. Vanessa, as a privileged child of a wanderer has access to books and information the other girls don't. As such, she plays a pivotal role in unlocking the islands myseries, and it's the snippets of information she overhears from her father talk that I was most interested to read. I also enjoyed Janey. Her struggle with independence from the islanders, and her fight to prove the truth was endearing. I also really enjoyed her relationship with younger sister Mary. She acts more of a mother to her, and the other younger children, than their biological mothers.

Although I enjoyed the ending, I was left a little disappointed that more things weren't explained. I left the story feeling just as confused and lacking in information as i was from the start. Some explanations of why he island was like it was, and why the first wanderers came to the island would have been helpful to understand the reasoning behind their actions. I never really got any answered to any of my questions, and because of this I just can't rate it any higher.

 - 3 stars