Then She Was Gone

With her greasy red hair, stooped shoulders, and long, thin legs, Noelle Donnelly’s unattractive physical characteristics fit the classic portrayal of a villainous character. Jewell uses her strange smell of cooking oil on several occasions to point out that her presence is off-putting, especially from the perspective of young people such as Ellie and Poppy. From the beginning of the novel, the reader sees that something about Noelle is not quite right. Ellie feels a sense of unease about being alone with Noelle during their tutoring sessions, but Jewell plays with the reader’s judgments, as Noelle seems to put Ellie at ease over time: bringing her small gifts, complimenting her progress, and truly helping her improve her grades.

Even though Jewell characterizes Noelle as strange from the beginning, it isn’t until she uses Noelle’s first-person narration that the reader sees that Noelle is completely unhinged. Noelle’s psychosis grows gradually over the course of her life. She constantly lived in the shadow of her deceased sister and felt more “judged” by her parents than “loved” (166). Her lack of significant relationships and purpose in her career led to an obsession with gaining Floyd’s attention and keeping it. Noelle rationalizes her horrific actions by telling herself they will help her win Floyd over. She expresses no remorse over kidnapping Ellie, impregnating her, and leaving her to die. Noelle’s mental illness appears more disturbing because of her proper, matter-of-fact diction and ability to appear somewhat normal. Although the reader senses from the beginning that Noelle is involved in Ellie’s disappearance, Jewell creates a growing sense of horror as the reader slowly learns of Noelle’s psychotic malevolence.

When Laurel first meets Floyd, she is attracted to his classy style that resembles Paul’s, as well as his winning personality. Floyd is kind to Laurel and eager to invite her into his life. His daughter, Poppy, is clearly his pride and joy, and although his relationship with her is unconventional, he cares for her. For most of the novel, the reader’s judgments of Floyd are in flux. While Laurel sees him as the best thing that has happened to her since Ellie’s disappearance, it’s also clear that he’s linked to Noelle—and Ellie—in some dark way. From Laurel’s perspective, Floyd is sweet, confident, and thoughtful, but from Noelle’s perspective, he sounds somewhat desperate, sex-obsessed, and foolish to stay in a relationship with Noelle for so long.

Once Floyd recounts his side of the story from the first-person point of view, the reader can see that, like Noelle, he also has some mental issues. He made a calculated attempt to get to know Laurel by studying Paul’s clothing and changing his appearance to attract Laurel. He also genuinely cares for Laurel, but in a seemingly obsessive way. However, his intentions for getting to know Laurel are for the good of Poppy. He wants to make things right and return Poppy to her rightful family. This is where he differs from Noelle. Although Floyd is far from normal, he retains a sense of right and wrong and can sustain meaningful human relationships. He understands that Laurel and Poppy will only truly be able to heal once he is gone, and he finally does the “best and greatest thing” (346) by confessing the truth to Laurel and restoring Poppy to her biological family. 

At age 16, Ellie Mack’s life is picture perfect. She’s beautiful, has a handsome boyfriend, is a model student, and has a wonderful summer ahead of her. Even though she is dead by the time the present-day events of the novel unfold, Jewell shows the reader her thoughts and perspective through flashbacks to the past. Ellie is shown to be intuitive about Noelle, feeling uncomfortable around her, and in hindsight, reflects on the warning signs she saw and felt. When taken captive by Noelle, Ellie shows signs of bravery, yet also naiveté. For instance, she pounds on the basement window and attempts to attack Noelle with a chair, but she is quick to believe Noelle’s words that suggest her captivity is only temporary. This belief keeps her from feeling desperate enough to try overpowering Noelle again or attempting escape. Over time, Ellie’s mental state starts to decline. She loses track of what month it is, finds herself alternating between loving Noelle and wanting to kill her, and aches for her family, particularly her mother. Despite her captivity and her horrible final days of life, Ellie’s letter in the Epilogue shows her strength, bravery, and love for Poppy and for her family.