The Gaps

 By: Leanne Hall

Location: FIC HAL

Genre:  Suspense, mystery, Young adult

What does it mean to be the one left behind?

When sixteen-year-old Yin Mitchell is abducted, the news reverberates through the whole Year Ten class at Balmoral Ladies College. As the hours tick by, the girls know the chance of Yin being found alive is becoming smaller and smaller.

Police suspect the abduction is the work of a serial offender, with none in the community safe from suspicion. Everyone is affected by Yin’s disappearance—even scholarship student Chloe, who usually stays out of Balmoral drama, is drawn into the maelstrom. And when she begins to form an uneasy alliance with the queen of Year Ten, Natalia, things get even more complicated.

Looking over their shoulders at every turn, Chloe and Natalia must come together to cope with their fear and grief as best they can. A tribute to friendship in all its guises, The Gaps is a moving examination of vulnerability and strength, safety and danger, and the particular uncertainty of being a young woman in the world.

‘Haunting and beautiful. At first it has the page-turning addictiveness of a thriller and then it evolves into a captivating exploration of grief, guilt and resilience in the face of fear and uncertainty. Hall's characters are meticulously drawn, brave, fierce and vulnerable. A stunning achievement from an Australian treasure.’
Wai Chim

‘A powerful, compelling read about the fragility, resilience and fierceness of girlhood. Unputdownable.’
Lili Wilkinson

‘A creeping psychological thriller about loss and fear and guilt and the fractured relationships that are left behind. Brilliant.’
Robert Newton

'Hall's writing is breathtakingly good. The Gaps is a lightning bolt of a novel about power, privilege, race, art and identity.'
Nina Kenwood