Only Daughter, by Anna Snoekstra

Homeless, hungry and on the run from her past, a young woman takes advantage of her resemblance to a girl who went missing 11 years ago. She treads a precarious path, feigning amnesia to get by, figuring it’s worth the risk to be safe in a loving family. But Rebecca’s life before she went missing was not exactly a bed of roses, as her imposter starts to discover. An interesting premise is handled well for two-thirds of the book; alternating between the two girls’ stories builds tension and suspense, as more is uncovered about each of them. Rebecca’s tale is particularly involving and the reader’s sympathy is very much with this 16-year-old whose world is falling apart. The backdrop of a sweltering Canberra surrounded by bushfires adds to the fear of her fate. The imposter’s story becomes less successful as it continues and this is eventually the downfall of the book. We never discover her name and don’t learn enough about what led to her situation to excuse or understand her appalling behaviour. Even though she eventually does the right thing the plot holes gape so wide she falls into them and the ludicrous ending leaves a bad taste after such a promising beginning. Use of the American ‘mom’ is irritating in an Australian novel but is explained by the discovery that half of the book is made up of three ‘taster’ stories from the same publisher, by American authors. This is an odd marketing technique that makes Only Daughter appear to be twice as substantial as it actually is and comes across as deceptive.