Desire Lines

By Christina Baker Kline

Book Overview

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train comes a novel about friendship and the memories that haunt us.

On the night of her high school graduation, Kathryn Campbell sits around a bonfire with her four closest friends, including the beautiful but erratic Jennifer. "I'll be fine," Jennifer says, as she walks away from the dying embers and towards the darkness of the woods. She never came back.

Ten years after Jennifer's unexplained disappearance, Kathryn is a grad-school dropout living in Virginia, stuck in a dead-end writing job and marriage. She has few close friends; most people have learned not to depend on her. When she decides to leave her husband, she ships her boxes to her mother's house in Bangor, Maine. She has nowhere else to go.

When Kathryn returns home, her former classmates are preparing for their ten-year reunion. Old questions about graduation night surface. Jennifer begins to dominate Kathryn's life, just as she did in high school. Enigmatic and troubled, Jennifer had always depended on Kathryn's devotion and asked for sacrifices. A decade after Jennifer walked into the woods alone, Kathryn decides that she must follow her friend's lead, one last time.

Involving herself in the daily rhythms of small-town life, Kathryn begins an investigation into her past. She renews contacts with old friends and teachers, using her skills as a journalist to reconstruct the life that she and Jennifer shared. Kathryn knows that she must examine what she knew about her friend, and what she didn't. She must decide what she is willing to risk to know the truth. She must decide what her own future is worth. With nothing left to lose, she is determined to answer one simple question: What ever happened to Jennifer Pelletier?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060566949
• ISBN13: 9780060566944
• Release Date: July 2014
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.2" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

Great read!

Could not put it down. I read it in one day. Best book so far by this author. I look forward to more as I have read all of hers thus far.

Fantastic!!!

I loved this book and couldn't put it down. I graduated from high school in the same year the main character did, and all of the cultural references were perfect. Plus, the author does an incredible job of describing everyday life - conversation, gestures, all of it. I was thoroughly captivated and could relate to what the characters were going through. Great book!

Unlike any other current novel.

Desire Lines is a hugely enjoyable read for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it does not fit squarely into any specific genre. I am not at all sure where the Gen-X tag is coming from, to approach the book with that in mind is to begin with an unnecessary preconceived notion. At no point during the book did I find myself pausing to wonder if anyone would actually say that, if anyone would actually do that, if such things could actually take place. The story is eminent and the existential dilemmas are enough to inspire empathy in any person. The scattered bad things I have read about this book seem to have been written by people who didn't actually read it and could not conceivably be more off base. Do yourself a favor, buy two. One for yourself and one for someone you love. Or like.

A Definite Page Turner...

A fan of Baker Kline's since her first novel SWEET WATER, she shows that she hasn't lost her touch as a talented writer with this new book. Christina Baker Kline has written a powerful story about friendship, family, loss, and redemption. Her characters are so real, the plot fresh, and the dialogue crisp. You become so involved in Katherine's search for her missing friend, Jennifer, -- and Katherine's own search to find herself -- you will not be able to put the book down until you turn the last page. Desire Lines is definitely one of the best new books of 1999.

Compelling reading...

The Boston Globe's glowing review led me to this book and I found I couldn't put it down. Kathryn 's coming to terms w/ loss, divorce and disconnection grabbed my attention more than the mystery of her friend's disappearance - though that too contributed to my staying up way too late last night reading!