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    He's Gone
    He's Gone
    He's Gone
    Audiobook11 hours

    He's Gone

    Written by Deb Caletti

    Narrated by Cassandra Campbell

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    "What do you think happened to your husband, Mrs. Keller?"

    The Sunday morning starts like any other, aside from the slight hangover. Dani Keller wakes up on her Seattle houseboat, a headache building behind her eyes from the wine she drank at a party the night before. But on this particular Sunday morning, she's surprised to see that her husband, Ian, is not home. As the hours pass, Dani fills her day with small things. But still, Ian does not return. Irritation shifts to worry, worry slides almost imperceptibly into panic. And then, like a relentless blackness, the terrible realization hits Dani: He's gone.

    As the police work methodically through all the logical explanations-he's hurt, he's run off, he's been killed-Dani searches frantically for a clue as to whether Ian is in fact dead or alive. And, slowly, she unpacks their relationship, holding each moment up to the light: from its intense, adulterous beginning, to the grandeur of their new love, to the difficulties of forever. She examines all the sins she can-and cannot-remember. As the days pass, Dani will plumb the depths of her conscience, turning over and revealing the darkest of her secrets in order to discover the hard truth-about herself, her husband, and their lives together.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJun 10, 2013
    ISBN9781452684376
    He's Gone
    Author

    Deb Caletti

    Deb Caletti is the award-winning and critically acclaimed author of over sixteen books for adults and young adults, including Honey, Baby, Sweetheart, a finalist for the National Book Award; A Heart in a Body in the World, a Michael L. Printz Honor Book; Girl, Unframed; and One Great Lie. Her books have also won the Josette Frank Award for Fiction, the Washington State Book Award, and numerous other state awards and honors, and she was a finalist for the PEN USA Award. She lives with her family in Seattle.

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    Reviews for He's Gone

    3.5/5

    126 ratings33 reviews

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    • 2/5
      not that exciting... the ending was lame...I would not recommend.
    • 5/5
      Dani and her husband live on one of the floating homes in Seattle (this is how I got hooked into even picking this book up). One night they go to a party at his office. When she wakes up in the morning, Dani's husband isn't there.

      And while what happens to him is critical to the story. How Dani deals with his missing-ness that carries this book through. Sounds dry as toast and I'm not exactly sure why it wasn't. I was totally hooked. The last half of this book I consumed in a massive 2 day session. It was totally, wonderfully worth it.
    • 4/5
      What would you do if your spouse disappeared without a trace? You wake up one Sunday morning and he is already gone, and you assume he will soon return with breakfast. As the day progresses, he does not appear, and your phone calls to him go unanswered. You were the last person to speak with him before he went missing, but your memory of the previous night is somewhat muddled due to consumption of alcohol and pills. The two of you went to a party, and you both drank too much. There was an argument, and you don't remember if your husband ever came to bed. Such is the set up for "He's Gone", author Deb Caletti's psychological portrait of a troubled marriage which takes a shocking, mysterious turn. Dani and Ian Keller first met when they were married to other people. A passionate affair between destroyed their two first marriages and has lasting, varied adverse effects on the lives of the members of both families. Dani's first husband, Mark, was abusive and controlling. Ian is a perfectionist with expensive tastes, and marriage to him is not what Dani expected. Her first marriage was an escape from her childhood, and the second marriage was an escape from the first, and neither relationship fully worked. Now, Ian is nowhere to be found, and as time passes, Dani looks more and more like a suspect. Throughout the whole story, Dani is analyzing herself and those around her, torturing herself in daylight and in her dreams. When Ian's whereabouts are finally revealed, the reader is once again reminded that the truth hits hardest when it hits close to home.Book Copy Gratis Amazon Vine
    • 3/5
      Well, this was better than 'just OK' (2 stars), but not good enough for 'I liked it' (3 stars).

      It was not much of a mystery and I think that I guessed the ending long before it was revealed. I will tell you that there were so many "I's" in this bad boy that "I" finally started skimming the paragraphs, then pages, then chapters and then well you get the idea.

      It was an OK read and I will probably not remember much of the story by the time this review is posted.

    • 4/5
      This was a good book - suspenseful and a good combination of present and memories from the past. Also thought it had a really good use of foreshadowing. Just didn't have quite enough plot for me and I thought the ending could have been better.
    • 4/5
      HE’S GONE is the first book by Deb Caletti that I’ve read, and I greatly enjoyed it. I thought it was the perfect balance of suspense and women’s fiction, with an intriguing mystery and an emotional backstory to keep readers turning the pages. The story moves back and forth between the main character, Dani Keller, searching for clues to her husband’s whereabouts, and Dani’s introspective look at her life and what’s brought her to this point in time. I think Dani grew a lot and became a stronger person as this ordeal played out. The ending was fantastic. Loved it!Part of this book I listened to on audio (borrowed from the library), mainly because one of my favorite narrators – Cassandra Campbell – gave the performance. She was perfect as Dani Keller, capturing her personality and predicament very well.Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
    • 4/5
      HE’S GONE by Deb Caletti is a thought-provoking and compelling novel of one spouse who has disappeared and the wife, is left to re-examine her life, marriage, relationship, and the events leading up to this mysterious night.

      Dani Keller, a freelance graphic and website designer was married to an abusive husband, Mark with a daughter, Abby when she met Ian. His daughter played on Abby’s baseball team, and they would frequently run into each other at social events, and became more attracted to one another.

      Ian was in a miserable marriage to Mary who liked to party, drink, and spend his money, and he and Dani enjoyed similar interests. They have an affair, he leaves his marriage, when his wife forces him to choose, leading to a nasty divorce, and Dani and Ian marry.

      HE’S GONE dives deep into the feelings and emotions of Dani, while she was married to Mark through the abuse, the affair with Ian, her marriage, and events leading up to the disappearance.

      However, the events are fuzzy the night of a party at her husband’s work, the night prior to finding him gone. She had too many glasses of wine, mixed with pills and cannot remember the last part of the evening.

      At first she thinks he left to run errands; however, when he does not return, she begins to suspect he has left for good. But where and why? She begins to search for clues on his computer, closet, and contacts everyone who knows her husband.

      When she begins to unravel the pieces of her life, it is not so perfect. Could she possibly have walked from one troubled man, straight into the arms of another man just as troubled and abusive? She begins to question her marriage, and her choices, and herself.

      He is no where to be found. Was there an accident? Did he leave with another woman? His car is parked next to their house; however, he has not used his credit cards, or cell phone. She finally calls the police and the investigation begins.

      Of course, Ian’s ex-wife and family blame Dani, and the investigation focuses on her. In addition Dani’s mom, a secondary character (a riot, as loved her), does not care for Ian (very controlling), nor did she care for her first husband.

      As the layers begin to peel back, readers examine the crisis and mysteries of Dani's relationships, her thoughts and feelings, switching back and forth from past to present.

      HE’S GONE is a captivating psychological novel viewing marriage, relationships, and family. Dani questions her patterns, thoughts, and behavior and why she continues to repeat these patterns.

      HE’S GONE is a much better book than Gone Girl, in my opinion. Caletti brilliantly crafts an emotional and riveting tale with compassion, while exploring secrets of the heart. Fans of Liane Moriarty, will enjoy HE’S GONE, and the author’s style. If you enjoyed HE’S GONE, would also recommend The Good Girl, by Mary Kubica.

      I listened to the audiobook and performer Cassandra Campbell was excellent. Looking forward to reading more from this talented author and storyteller!


    • 5/5
      Zipped right along----and the ending was unexpected even though I was totally curious about what had happened, which made it good. I thought the unwinding of the main character's opinions was well done. Every reader, obviously, has different thoughts about what is being read---as I see from some of the other reviews.
    • 2/5
      I finished this novel only to find out what the heck happened to Ian. I totally loathed the character Dani, who I think was written to be sympathetic, but was anything but. Of course she is in a physically violent marriage, which makes it very easy to leave the marriage. Of course her daughter likes Ian, the new husband. The ex-wife and her daughters are portrayed as the mess, but I think had the legitimate response to the betrayal. If Dani wanted me to feel sorry for her situation and the fact the family didn't blend together perfectly, then that is too bad. The writing was contrite and the characters were stereotypical. The whole novel left me angry and I will not read another book by Caletti.
    • 4/5
      He's Gone is a compelling narrative by a woman whose husband has gone missing. It's the story of when they meet until that day she can't find him. It's a smooth, psychological portrayal by, what some might think, an unreliable narrator. It certainly kept me wondering and guessing! I liked He's Gone and will definitely look for more of Deb Caletti's books.
    • 2/5
      So I received and read this a while back, and I have to say I had to go back through the book a bit to write this review. It just did not stick with me. I only recently read Gone Girl, and seeing the other reviewers compare the two ... I guess I just don't see it. There didn't seem to be much real mystery.
    • 3/5
      This is a quiet, slow moving mystery that felt like more of a deconstruction of a marriage than a mystery. I kept waiting for a Gone Girl Twist that never happened. After Dani’s husband goes missing she goes through every minute their relationship and realizes it wasn’t the great love story she thought it was. And honestly the more she reveals about who Ian is I can’t help thinking why the hell would you want him back anyway! Plus Dani’s self-deprecation and whining got on my nerves, she wasn’t a very likable character either.I’m not sure I liked this book, but I didn’t hate it I just didn’t feel like it was a mystery. Yes there is the mystery of what happened to Ian but that feels almost secondary to Dani going through their entire relationship with a fine toothed comb.Cassandra Campbell’s narration was really good, she had just the right amount of emotions in her voice and when Dani is feeling overwhelmed and frantic the narration conveys this superbly. As always Cassandra’s narration is very well done.I’m sorry but this book was forgettable and the reveal of what happened to Ian felt rushed and didn’t have any impact on me at all. I wanted to be shocked or even the least bit interested and it just didn’t happen.2 ½ star book4 ½ star narration
    • 4/5
      Caletti has written a moving story of a complex relationship. This is the mystery of the disappearance of the first person narrator's husband, and there is indeed suspense. But the strength of this novel is the unfolding of the relationship between Dani and her husband Ian, both of whom have been married before and bring a damaging past to their present. We are inside Dani's head as she imagines and investigates all of the possibilities of what happened to Ian, and as she remembers all of the events that have brought her to this situation. There's a good deal of wisdom and perception in her recollections and observations, and this reader wished she could be friends with this woman.
    • 4/5
      When Dani Keller wakes up after a party at her husband’s work the night before, she finds him gone. She knows she had one too many glasses of wine, and she can’t remember everything that happened. Did they have a fight?She figures he’s off sulking or went to get coffee, but when he doesn’t return, she begins to realize He’s Gone, the name of Deb Caletti’s incredibly tense, punch-to-the-gut examination of a marriage.Dani was married to an abusive husband with an adorable daughter Abby when she met Ian. His daughter played on Abby’s baseball team, and Dani and Ian were immediately attracted to each other.They weren’t the kind of people who had affairs, but this was different. Ian’s wife Mary liked to drink, socialize and spend money. Ian was more introspective.Dani and Ian have an affair, and though they are conflicted about it, eventually they end up together. Mary and her daughters are furious, and cut Ian out of their lives. Ian is tortured by the breakup of his family.As the hours tick by, Dani calls everyone Ian knows, but he is nowhere to be found. His car is parked by their houseboat, no one has used his cell phone or credit cards. Finally Dani calls the police, they start an investigation, but there is no sign of Ian.Ian’s daughters blame Dani, and soon the police focus in on her. Not only does she have to deal with not knowing where her husband is, but she could be a suspect in his disappearance.As the story unwinds, we see that things are not as perfect as Dani first tells everyone. She and Ian call each other their soulmates, but what does that really mean?More than a mystery, this is an examination of a relationship. Dani must dig deep to answer some hard questions not only about her marriage, but also about herself.The writing is superb. Upon discovering Ian gone, Dani thinks “I didn’t think about discovering someone else’s breakfast dishes or the change from their pocket left out on the dresser, their presence sitting right next to their absence.”Her descriptions of people are vivid too. Of Ian, Dani thinks “Ian likes things to go right. He liked the towels folded a certain way; he likes the car vacuumed a certain way; he likes an email to be written in a certain way. He doesn’t like errors of balance or manners or grammar. He never makes mistakes, I swear. Never a misstep. It can get exhausting, trying to measure up. You start to feel as if you’re on a perpetual job interview.”Since Ian isn’t available to tell us his side, we have to rely on other to tell us about him.Caletti’s observations about relationships rang so true. “When you love a person, you come to know so many things about them. You know what they’ll order in a restaurant, and you know that they’ll cut the scratchy tags off their shirt collars and that they get cranky when they need to eat or when the bed sheets become baggy. You know by the lilt and rhythms of their voice if they’re talking on the phone to their mother, or their daughter, or their lawyer. But, maybe most of all, you know their relationship to criticism.”Dani goes through all of the things that could have happened to Ian- he ran away, he’s injured, he’s dead, he went back to his first wife. But in order to do that, she has to face some hard truths about who Ian really is and who she is, and what they were together.The resolution to the mystery is my original theory, though Caletti does a good job throwing people off the scent until the last moment. He’s Gone evokes so many emotions as you read it, you’ll find yourself thinking about it for a long time to come.Some people may compare it to Gone Girl, as they are both mysteries about what happens to a missing spouse, but He's Gone is so much richer and deeper in its themes and execution.
    • 3/5
      I won this book from a Goodreads giveaway. He’s Gone by Deb Caletti is a classic missing person story.Dani and her husband, Ian, went to a party and got a little more than tipsy. When Dani woke up the next morning, Ian was gone. Because she had a little too much to drink, Dani is unable to remember what could have happened the night before, but she does have some foggy memories of an argument.There is also the story of how Dani and Ian met and how their relationship began (while being married to other people).For the full review, visit Love at First Book
    • 4/5
      My first Caletti book and I really did like it. I know I need to try some of her ya, but Im glad I started with this first adult from her. Caletti has a beautiful way for detail and while I loved her imagery, at times the language took away from the mystery or pull of the book. I wished the story had focused more on the reason why Ian disappeared and not so much all the past issues and Ian "before". As a reader I wanted to know Ian NOW and I wanted to know what the heck happened.......I felt a tad frustrated with the waiting.....but then again once the reveal did happen, it was for sure worth the wait and the read getting there.
    • 5/5
      I enjoyed this book immensely. I felt the pacing was good, the writing excellent and characters well developed. The author has a good understanding of the feelings and aftermath of both an affair and broken family relationships. There was lots that resonated perfectly with me. I would highly recommend this book, particularly to women of my age group and who have also had their lives touched by infidelity and divorce.
    • 3/5
      I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book. I loved the premise (though this book was a bit outside my norm so maybe it's actually unoriginal) and I liked the timeline of going back and forth between the present time and the beginning of the marriage.But this book didn't grab me. I think the biggest mistake was (SPOILERS) not setting up any possible suspects. Without promising and interesting leads, a lot of the book was just stalling until the ending could be announced.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book. I think the main character and I have a lot in common. We ramamble in the same way and our brains work similarly. Everything she feels and expresses I totally understand. This book is about a lost husband, but it also about relationships and self-discovery. It is about facing the things that scare us the most, the things that we won't even admit to ourselves. I thought this was an excelently written book and am anxious for more adult fiction from Deb Caletti.
    • 3/5
      Short and Sweet SummaryDani wakes up one morning and finds her husband Ian gone. Just gone. Was he abducted? In an accident? Did he just walk away to start over again? or Return to his first wife Mary? As the search for Ian intensifies and Dani's anxiety grows, she reviews her life with Ian, their affair, their ambivalence toward their first spouses, their children's lives and how they've been affected, the changes, and finally their ambivalence towards each other. Was it all worth it? If they had it to do differently, what would they change and would they still choose each other?What I LikedThe Nabakov metaphor of the butterfly and transformation. Not many people know of Nabakov's love of butterflies...I do and was surprised to find this detail tied so deeply into the story.I think Caletti means for us to see Dani transform, slowly, frustratingly and painfully...if so, she succeeds.Pollux - Dani's little dog stole the show for me, and his little character and bit parts kept me around when I would have liked to shut the book.Dani's mom and daughter - both of these characters seemed tougher than Dani...they spoke their own minds...freely and sometimes with very colorful language...but they weren't sorry for it. Abby (Dani's daughter) loves being in her pajamas...but it's not a big deal. Who cares? Very unlike her mother, who over-analyzed everything and gave in too much to everybody.I liked the real life portrayal of an affair that ends in a marriage that isn't exactly the fairytale the couple thought it would be. I like the slap in the face of real people who lead others "astray" without the kindest of intentions...and those gullible enough to fall into that net.What I Didn't LikeMost of the characters - I didn't feel sorry for Ian and Dani...I just didn't. I think a lot of people fall into affairs the way they did, thinking that life will always be that romantic heady feeling with this new person...who then turns out to be a regular person as well. To me, that's not rocket science, and I guess it just confuses me that so many people fall into that trap.Ian - really? There were a lot of early signs Dani should have seen. But she chose not to.I think it was a mistake to make Dani's first husband an abuser. I wonder how women who've actually lived through this situation would feel about Caletti's portrayal of Dani being attracted to the "bad boy." Is an abuser just a "bad boy"? I don't think Caletti means to downplay abuse; I just think both the abuse and the affair get muddled because Caletti put them together in the same story. And, then, even more muddled for me was that Dani took two Vicodin and drank so much the night Ian disappeared that she couldn't remember what happened after they got home. It was just a train wreck for me...and maybe that's exactly what Caletti had in mind.The Ending - I'm going to be honest here...I read the ending pretty quickly...before I actually finished the book. I was trying to convince myself to keep reading :( Dani is a very needy character; she and I would never be friends in real life bc I wouldn't have an ounce of patience with her. This story tied up way too nicely and neatly with only a few hints buried throughout of what would eventually be discovered.Ian's daughters and the ridiculous boyfriend accusing Dani...it just seemed a little much to me...any of these little rivers could have made for a riveting thriller leading up to the actual discovery...but all of it together was too much for me. And if Caletti didn't intend for He's Gone to be a thriller, then there were some "thrilling" bits that could have been downplayed. I just think it was frustrating for me as a reader.Overall RecommendationI hate not liking a book I've asked to read, but I didn't like this one. I would very much like to read the story of Dani's next chapter, however, the one where her transformation becomes complete...on her own. Just because I didn't like it, however, doesn't mean that someone else won't. I'm a huge believer in reader response theories; each reader brings his/her own ideas and transacts with a text. My personal reader's transaction with He's Gone was just not what I hoped it would be.
    • 4/5
      4.0 out of 5 stars - "People usually bring their same self wherever they go."Dani and Ian had an affair that destroyed both of their marriages. Moving on together is challenging, but they believe they have found in each other a soulmate and that life can finally move on away from the misery in their old situations. They can be happy now that they have what they want. Dani's ex-husband used physical violence to control her and she feels rescued by intelligent, articulate and tender Ian. Ian's former wife lives in the expensive house with his two daughters and alternatively lures and punishes him with their former suburban life -- she got the spoils and the friends. Nevertheless, Dani and Ian finally can appear in public and they eventually marry and move to a houseboat on a beautiful lake where they can acknowledge that they have gone through hell to be together and build what they swore they wanted.One morning, after a late night party where Dani drank too much, she awakens alone in bed. Her feet are muddy and she doesn't remember too many details of the evening. It isn't until later in the day that she realizes that Ian is gone. He's not picking up coffee or working or running an errand. His phone goes straight to voice mail. The police arrive and ask her questions she can't answer. Where has Ian gone? His car is still parked near the dock. His clothes, computer, razor - nothing is missing. In the course of searching for a husband that may be missing by choice, Dani comes to some shocking realizations and some very painful truths about herself and those she loves.This is a suspenseful story with a mystery but more a very engrossing psychological study of family, marriage, and relationships. The characters were believable and fragile in their honesty. The self analysis Dani works through is a window into the soul of anyone who has tried to understand the nature of love in all its forms. How can we stop repeating the patterns of thought and behavior that take us down the same wrong path again and again.I loved this book and recommend it to readers who like novels dealing with love, secrets and the search for answers to very difficult questions.ARC Amazon Vine Program
    • 4/5
       Synopsis: Dani Keller’s husband going missing is bad enough, but poor Dani can’t remember the sequence of events that lead up to his disappearance. She remembers only these few details: they were at a party, she had a lot to drink, they had a disagreement. But is that really all that happened? With a troubling blank in her short-term memory, Dani is forced to examine the minutia of her marriage and of her own heart in order to discovery her own culpability in his disappearance.What I liked: Caletti delves unflinchingly into troubling aspects of love and marriage. She examines how many relationships beginning with wobbly foundations can remain wobbly. What do we expect from our spouse? So often, we desire to be rescued, to be “fixed, and so often we are utterly blind to this motivation. And what does this motivation do to the relationship? Caletti paints a strong case for caution in how we get out of old and into new relationships.What could have been better: Because Caletti purposefully keeps her story in realm of psychological discovery, her book purposefully omits the more fantastical literary acrobatics employed by many other similar stories, i.e. psychological thrillers like “Gone Girl” and “Defending Jacob”. At times, there is a lack of momentum and suspence in He's Gone. This can cause Caletti’s story to lag, as she parks herself in Dani’s head for most of the book.Summary: Caletti’s first foray into adult literature is deeply self-introspective and psychological. Don’t expect an action thriller, but, whether or not the reader has had experiences similar to Dani’s, do prepare to be challenged by Caletti’s revelations of the dangerous elements we can all bring into our core relationships.
    • 5/5
      I received this book as part of the early Reviewers Club. My last few books I received from the club were slightly disappointing so I didn't hold out any high hopes for this book.I was wrong. This book was a page turner from the get-go.Dani Keller wakes up the morning after a business party with a hangover and a missing husband. As the book progresss, she remembers bits and pieces of what happened that night. The more she remembers, the less innocent of any wrong doing she appears.This books was entertaining, suspensful, and surprising. The ending took me totally off gaurd.
    • 4/5
      When I picked up this book, I thought it was going to be a mystery/thriller about the search for a missing husband. Instead, this is really a book about the complexities of love and marriage and relationships and family. The fact that Dani's husband is missing is the central element of the plot, but the meat of the story is Dani's exploration of their life together to try to unearth clues about his disappearance. The book is well-written and in places a moving read, though there were also moments where I found Dani's passivity rather irritating. Nevertheless, this novel was a great read, one I would not hesitate to recommend.
    • 4/5
      I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program, and am so glad I did! I'd never heard of Deb Caletti before--it seems that all of her previous books were YA novels--and I'm already looking forward to more great adult fiction from this talented author.In "He's Gone," Caletti pulled off one of my favorite literary devices: the unreliable narrator. Written in a first-person, present tense style that infuses the reader with a real sense of urgency and immediacy, "He's Gone" let's us experience alongside the narrator the discovery that her husband has disappeared--and the swirling feelings of confusion resulting from the fact that she can't remember the last time she saw him very clearly. The cloud of suspicion that comes to surround the narrator comes from everywhere--including, eventually, from within.Told in alternating flashbacks of the start of their relationship and scenes of the aftermath of his disappearance, "He's Gone" paints a portrait of the dissolution of a marriage (or, rather, of three marriages, since both the narrator and her husband had divorced other spouses in order to be together), and raises the unsettling questions of how well we can ever really know anyone--even ourselves. The novel was a suspenseful, quick read, and with its picturesque Seattle houseboat setting, is the perfect book to read curled up under a blanket on a rainy day.
    • 5/5
      This was one of those books I couldn't read fast enough, but hoped would not end because it was that good. First, I love suspense and this book had plenty-wife wakes up to find her husband has simply disappeared. Second, I loved the location of Seattle. I live on the outskirts and could relate to so many of the local areas, personalities of the people, etc. How many people can say they have a neighbor building a totem pole? Maybe only if you live in this area (yes, my neighbor is also making one)and that made the book extra fun for me to read.Dani, the main character, is very likable. She is a people pleaser, a bit neurotic and a worrier, therefore-very human and I found myself agreeing and even relating with her thoughts and feelings through out the story. Her husband, is missing after an evening office party. Dani, who drank a bit the night before and can't clearly remember what happened, is frantic with finding out what happened. The police conduct their own search, while Dani questions those around her, most especially the thoughts and actions of her missing husband. Finally, nearing desperation and with all hope draining away, Dani begins to question herself.Loved this book. Can't wait to read more from this author! I received a complimentary copy from Netgalley.
    • 4/5
      Other reviewers have gone into detail about the storyline of this book that I received through the early reviewers group. As a result I do not need the need to feel the need to repeat it.This story captivated me right from the start and I found the perspective to be somewhat unique in that the readers predominantly see everything through the eyes of the main character. Although this can be very tedious at times it also allows us to relate more fully with what this woman was really experiencing. She disects every aspect of their marriage from the time they first saw one another until hours before she discovers her husband missing. This is something that we probably selom do unless forced to due to such an unusual circumstance. None of the characters are especially likeable which adds another dimension to the story..... they're not hateful people, they are probably quite ordinary but not sympathetic characters with the exception of the circumstances.I would recommend this book. I found it engaging ( for the most part) and it has stayed with me.
    • 4/5
      This is the first book by Deb Caletti that I've read and I really enjoyed it. The story is about a woman who wakes up one morning to find her husband missing. As the days pass with no clues as to where he could be, she begins to examine their relationship and life together. The reader is taken back in time to how Dani and Ian met and fills in the details about both of their lives prior to the affair that brought them together. The story was very suspenseful and you are given several "theories" as to what happened to Ian proposed by the main character. Although I didn't think the ending lived up to the suspense that continues through the entire novel, I did like this book and it kept my attention. I will definitely be reading more books by this author.
    • 3/5
      Deb Caletti is an award-winning author of young-adult fiction. With her new book, He’s Gone, Caletti drops all trappings of young adult literature and tackles a weighty adult theme head-on: can we ever really know another human being, especially someone close like a husband, or are we destined always ineptly to interpret our loved ones through our own experiences?He’s Gone is narrated entirely in the first person from the wife’s point of view. Dani, the wife, lives with her second husband, Ian, on a houseboat near Seattle. They’ve been married for three years and their marriage seems, at first appearance, to be loving and close. However, we soon learn that their marriage is the result of both of them having indulged in a steamy adulterous affair while married to their first spouses. The book opens in the present day with Ian’s sudden disappearance after the two of them return from a night at a party. Dani has had too much alcohol and immediately goes to sleep. When she awakes the next morning, her husband is gone. There are absolutely no overt signs as to what may have become of him. At the end of this novel, readers find out what happened to Ian…but this is not, by any means, the arc of the plot that drives this novel forward. Rather, this book is about Dani and how she deals psychologically and emotionally with the loss. At first, Dani has to deal with the day-to-day problems of her husband’s disappearance. Eventually, she starts to dig deep into her memory to try to figure out if there is any clue there about what may have happened to her husband. In particular, Dani is looking to find any reason why Ian may have been motivated to suddenly abandon her. Was there some flaw in the marriage that caused him to leave? Had he been abducted by someone, an angry colleague, a stranger? Did he have a new lover? Did he have hidden business or financial difficulties?In her quest for the truth, the book morphs into a penetrating emotional and psychological dissection of a marriage and a life.I liked it enough to give it three stars, but often I found it unbearably claustrophobic being inside Dani’s head while she endlessly indulged in intense introspection. In addition, the more I found out about Dani, the less sympathetic I became with her character. Generally, I enjoy being inside the head of a character, getting to know and understand deep psychological underpinnings of character and motivation. Unfortunately, in this book, I found myself constantly judging Dani’s actions and knowing that if I’d ever had to face the same situation, I’d have acted entirely differently. My sympathy for the main character waned. I eventually found her somewhat unbelievable: how could a character who was so introspective at this point in her life have been so lacking in introspection and insight earlier in her life? I stuck with the book and when I got to the end, I was not surprised to find out that I’d nailed the reason for the husband’s disappearance almost right from the beginning. Overall, He’s Gone was just okay. In retrospect, I wish I’d used the time reading a better book.
    • 3/5
      I choose this book because it was written with Seattle as the backdrop. The main characters lived on a houseboat. But not much else about Seattle in the storyline. The story was about relationships, failed relationships. The suspense started from the very beginning to the last chapter. It did hold my attention, but I was wanting more to the mystery of Ian disappearing. I felt like as the reader I was the only one desparate to find out what happened to him. This is the first book I've read by Deb Caletti, so I can not compare it to her other novels.