The best novel I have read in years. Phillips’ first chapter describes the abduction of two young sisters; the subsequent 12 chapters contain narratives from 12 loosely connected women, all members of the girls’ remote Siberian society, who dole out tantalizing clues to the sisters’ fates, month by month, as the area resumes its life in the aftermath of a shocking crime.

Written by an American with significant professional ties to this, her non-native, community, Phillips’ tale brings fresh understanding of the ways any neighborhood can rally to protect, or damage, their own.