It should be simple. Sadie is alone, isolated in a small town on the cuff of America. Her mother is gone. Her sister, Mattie is dead, murdered. The police have given up, the case is completely cold. And Sadie herself has gone missing. Sadie knows there is more to the story. In fact, she knows exactly who murdered her sister— and she’s going to kill him herself.
Written by award winning author Courtney Summers and published in 2018, Sadie is the haunting story of missing nineteen year old Sadie Hunter, on her journey for revenge, murder, redemption and everything in between.
A successful and popular radio show host, the story of Sadie Hunter could barely concern West Mcray. Girls go missing all the time; girls die all the time. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, right? But after discovering a few strange details, he becomes increasingly invested. Mcray starts his own podcast to track down Sadie, because he suspects there is much more to the story than meets the eye. Yet even after months of sleuthing and investigation, the case only brings up more questions than answers. The problem is, the only person who can answer those questions is Sadie herself. And no one has any clue where she is.
Sadie was not an easy read. Sadie, at times, is violent and can only be described as disturbing and horrific– but sadly, is the truth. Sadie reflects on the topics of sexual abuse, drug abuse and pedophilia, so reader discretion is advised. It is the culmination of a desperate sister’s love, unspeakable crimes, the dangers of abuse and how they really change the people affected.
Told chronologically, the story puts together a beautiful blend of podcast transcripts and haunting prose told through Sadie’s perspective. Piece by piece, it allows readers, if they are able to, try and put the story together themselves. Sadie is like an onion. It’s a story with layers upon layers upon layers. And when you think you’ve got it all figured out, it delves even deeper.
Sadie has never had an easy life. She’s worked to support both herself and her sister, even though her efforts may go unnoticed; she struggles with a stutter, causing people to constantly undermine her. She lives in a poor, rural town full of corruption that was never quite brought to the surface. She has a million things going against her. But we are never once, not once, told to pity Sadie. Instead, Sadie is seen for who she is: her strength, her courage, and even her weakness, which is one of the things that makes this book so special.
Summers’ writing makes it seem as if you’re there yourself. Almost as if you’re on the journey with Sadie herself— daunting, thrilling and evocative. Summers truly is a master of her craft. And I mean it when I say that Sadie Hunter’s story will splinter your heart. It will stick with you long after the last page, because that is exactly what it is meant to do.
