The Vanished Days by Susanna Kearsley

 genre: historical fiction

The time is 1707.  Scotland is as full of unrest as ever, what with the new Union with England and the Jacobites threatening invasion at any moment.  Amidst this political turmoil, a young woman, Lily, has submitted a claim to collect her husband's wages from the disastrous Darien expedition, from which he did not return.  Our narrator is, from the beginning, wrapped up in this young woman's story as he goes about finding out whether her marriage truly did happen and if she should get the wages she claims.  As we go back in time, however, to learn her story and how she came to be married, a more nuanced story exists of a young woman trying to make her own way in a country in confusion.   

This was super readable, Kearsley always does such a good job.  One huge difference from her previous novels is that his one is narrated by a man and that it only takes place in the past.  There are two time periods, yes, but both in the late17th/early18th century AND there is no paranormal element that we usually see.  The Vanished Days is a straight-up non-fiction story with twists and characters whose lives were are real as ours.  I have to admit, the twist totally threw me and, although I liked it, ended up making me feel strangely confused, like I couldn't put all the pieces back together in a way that made sense.  I almost feel like I'd have to reread the book for that - but it was SUCH an enjoyable read that I'm giving it a pass.  No one else whose reviews I've read seem to have had such a struggle, ha!   The story truly drops you into a Scotland of long ago and storyline moved along at just the right pace for me.  Lily is a really interesting character and I'll still keep reading whatever Kearsley decides to write.