Book Review: Good Half Gone | Tarryn Fisher

Tarryn Fisher is another author with whom I have a complicated relationship in terms of their books (see Mary Kubica for the same issue). She crafts stories with an outstanding premise, and executes the premise well, but it is hit-or-miss for me in terms of whether I like it. There are books I’ve loved by her (An Honest Lie, for example), and other books that I have described as “a 5-star book with a 3-star ending” (The Wives).

I’ll be honest that I don’t know quite what to make of her newest psychological thriller, Good Half Gone. This was almost the reverse of some others, a great premise, a convoluted middle, and an absolute banger of an ending. But did I like the ending? I have a lot of thoughts…

What is Good Half Gone about?

Sixteen year-old twins Iris and Piper Walsh may not have much, but they have each other. Born to an addict mother, the twins are being raised by their grandmother Betty. Despite their similar appearances, the twins are quite different. Piper is more popular, outgoing, and social. Iris is quieter, serious, and introverted.

When Piper insists that Iris go with her to a party, Iris is unsure, especially when it seems Piper wants to meet up with an older boy. Iris’s attention is temporarily diverted and when she turns back, she sees Piper being taken against her will. Iris immediately calls 911, but the detectives seem skeptical. They imply Iris could be lying (she is the daughter of an addict, after all) or that Piper likely just ran away.

Nine years later, Iris has still never stopped trying to find out what happened to her sister. Months after her sister was taken, a baby shows up on their doorstep with a note that just says, “twin”. Iris knows this is Piper’s baby, and she raises the little boy, Cal, as her own. Iris has a lead she’s been following that may lead her to Piper, and she’s getting close. Iris has taken an internship at Shoal Island Hospital for the Criminally Insane. There’s someone inside who knows what happened to Piper, and she’s determined to get close to them no matter what it takes…

What did I like?

The present chapters moved forward slowly at first, but once they caught up with Iris taking the job at Shoal Island Hospital for the Criminally Insane, I was locked in. The setting was one of the best parts, and it was creepy—the building had been turned into a prison then into a temporary home for unwed mothers to give birth, then into the psychiatric institute. It has to be reached by boat and at the front of the island is a gorgeous Victorian mansion. This whole vibe is straight out of a gothic novel!

I absolutely loved Iris and Piper’s grandmother, Betty. She seems like this sweet, white-haired lady, but then we hear a story about her slamming her husband’s mistress against the wall back in the day. She’s feisty! She also is unwavering in her support of Iris, both with raising Cal and with her dogged determination to find out what happened to Piper.

The premise of one twin getting taken and the other determined to prove what happened to her is fantastic, and many parts of it were executed well. The ending had a lot going on—it was actually quite shocking. It’s such a completely wild ending that there is just no way you’re going to guess it, though there were clues to several parts of it looking back. It was a bit too over-the-top (even for me), but I also loved that the last chapters were like popcorn in a microwave, suddenly popping every other sentence. Reveal! Reveal! Reveal! Reveal!

What didn’t work for me?

The story was hard to follow, particularly in the first half when it was switching back and forth between timelines frequently. Neither timeline was giving many answers, and on top of that it was hard to keep straight. Very minor spoiler from the first quarter of the book—save yourself the headache and realize that Grandma Betty is in the hospital in both timelines. I kept thinking we were still in the present until I realized she also was in the hospital for a while in the past. These don’t have much effect on the main plot, so I thought it was unnecessarily confusing to repeat that thread in both.

Some of the information about Piper’s disappearance and the aftermath came way too late into the story. I won’t go into everything, but I’ll give an example. Iris insists from page one that Piper has been murdered. However, the reader is given no insight into how she knows that. Everything we see is about Piper being kidnapped, the police not believing her, and eventually Piper’s son Cal being dropped on their doorstep. Obviously Piper was alive for at least a year or two after she was taken, so how did Iris get confirmation she’s dead? You’ll get the answer to that, but it doesn’t come until well into the second half of the book. It’s also not really a twist, it’s just context. Personally I think it would be more impactful if we learned that earlier.

I know I put the ending in what I liked (and there were a lot of things I liked), but I’m also putting it here. That’s because if you break the ending into two big chunks of reveals, one was over-the-top but had enough clues that the reader could have guessed it, and the other half of the ending was a bit too much for me. It was possible but there was no way the reader was going to be able to guess any of it, and that always bothers me.

Final Thoughts (TLDR)

This is a solid thriller and has a great premise. The setting at the psychiatric institute on the island is fantastic and enhanced the story a lot. The first half is somewhat confusing—it changed timelines too frequently and important context was withheld without any reason or payoff that would have made it clearer. The ending half worked and half didn’t work for me (perhaps that is the titular “good half” that is gone!). Regardless of whether the twists were over the top, it is a fun ending that will take you by surprise, and there are a lot of details to be revealed!

If you liked Good Half Gone, what should you read next?

About the Author

Tarryn Fisher is the #1 New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author of fifteen novels.  She is best know for her best selling novels Never Never, The Wives and The Wrong Family.  Born in South Africa, Tarryn now calls Seattle, Washington home, where she resides with her husband and children.   She writes primarily in the romance, thriller and new adult genres and specializes in writing villains.