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Where Have You Been?
Susan and Ed Middleton are perfectly content with their lives. Two kids, two cars, a solid brick bungalow in a respectable Northern beaches suburb.But when Susan's older sister, who vanished as a teenager, reappears to claim an inheritance, everything is set to change.
252 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2010
5 people are currently reading
137 people want to read
About the author
Wendy James
41 books185 followersWendy James is the celebrated author of eight novels, including the bestselling The Mistake and the compelling The Golden Child, which was shortlisted for the 2017 Ned Kelly Award for crime. Her debut novel, Out of the Silence, won the 2006 Ned Kelly Award for first crime novel, and was shortlisted for the Nita May Dobbie award for women's writing. Wendy works as an editor at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation and writes some of the sharpest and most topical domestic noir novels in the country.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 8, 2011
3.5 stars
Where Have You Been is a Australian psychological thriller.
Susan's older sister was last seen on the night of her high school formal and her disappearance sparked investigations (which led nowhere) and left her family shattered: eventually her parents divorced, her mother descended into obsession and a mild madness.
Twenty years later, Susan is the picture of domestic bliss: happily married to her college sweetheart, two children & financially well-off. Until her mum dies and leaves half the (sizable) inheritance to her missing (long presumed abducted/dead) sister.
So... dun dun dun... her sister (or an imposter) appears after an announcement in the paper.
And this appearance acts the catalyst for a series if events that rock Susan's whole world.
This catalyst causes the main characters in the story to review their lives and beliefs and re-visit their past. There's some quieter domestic kind of mid-life crisis and questioning of their lives and happiness in general. But the driving force of the story is the bubbling undertones that Susan's sister is not who she says she is and not to be trusted. That she will end up taking more than just the money...
I was equally compelled and frustrated while reading this. Things that were obvious to the reader remained cloudy to the characters. I suppose this added suspense with that feeling of dread but it also made me want to scream at the characters for making such dodge-y and plain idiotic choices. They were gullible and far too trusting and easily allowed themselves to be used (although I suppose if they made the right choices, there would be no premise for the story).
I felt the suspense was handled really well (and was perhaps the main reason I read it so fast ~ it wasn't for love of the characters). I loved the different (often short) changes of POV. I had wished for it to be a little more creepy/climatic than what it was ~ although I do not think that was the author's intent.
I quite enjoyed the prose ~ it was often sparse ~ crisp and sharp ~ reminiscent of Lisa McMann's style in the WAKE, FADE, GONE books ~ although not as constant or intense.
This book has been long-listed for the Ned Kelly award :D
For some reason i am pairing in my mind with Rebecca's James
~ which is a YA/cross-over thriller also set in Sydney ~ although largely different in themes and audience it had a similar vibe.
Where Have You Been is a Australian psychological thriller.
Susan's older sister was last seen on the night of her high school formal and her disappearance sparked investigations (which led nowhere) and left her family shattered: eventually her parents divorced, her mother descended into obsession and a mild madness.
Twenty years later, Susan is the picture of domestic bliss: happily married to her college sweetheart, two children & financially well-off. Until her mum dies and leaves half the (sizable) inheritance to her missing (long presumed abducted/dead) sister.
So... dun dun dun... her sister (or an imposter) appears after an announcement in the paper.
And this appearance acts the catalyst for a series if events that rock Susan's whole world.
This catalyst causes the main characters in the story to review their lives and beliefs and re-visit their past. There's some quieter domestic kind of mid-life crisis and questioning of their lives and happiness in general. But the driving force of the story is the bubbling undertones that Susan's sister is not who she says she is and not to be trusted. That she will end up taking more than just the money...
I was equally compelled and frustrated while reading this. Things that were obvious to the reader remained cloudy to the characters. I suppose this added suspense with that feeling of dread but it also made me want to scream at the characters for making such dodge-y and plain idiotic choices. They were gullible and far too trusting and easily allowed themselves to be used (although I suppose if they made the right choices, there would be no premise for the story).
I felt the suspense was handled really well (and was perhaps the main reason I read it so fast ~ it wasn't for love of the characters). I loved the different (often short) changes of POV. I had wished for it to be a little more creepy/climatic than what it was ~ although I do not think that was the author's intent.
I quite enjoyed the prose ~ it was often sparse ~ crisp and sharp ~ reminiscent of Lisa McMann's style in the WAKE, FADE, GONE books ~ although not as constant or intense.
This book has been long-listed for the Ned Kelly award :D
For some reason i am pairing in my mind with Rebecca's James
~ which is a YA/cross-over thriller also set in Sydney ~ although largely different in themes and audience it had a similar vibe.
March 25, 2012
Having recently read Wendy's most recent novel The Mistake, I couldn't wait to read another one of her books and Where Have You Been was also a gripping read.
Susan Middleton is living a comfortable suburban life in Sydney. Married to the unexciting but stable Ed and with two young children, she has managed to overcome the trauma of seeing her older sister disappear more than twenty years before and watching her mother suffer mental illness until her recent death. Her mother's will, however, has a major twist. Before the estate can be settled, efforts must be made to locate Susan's missing sister Karen, so she can claim her inheritance. Similar to The Mistake, Wendy James has taken a compelling topic and spun it into a mystery that captured my attention from the first page.
Susan doesn't know how to feel when Karen reappears. But they soon forge a close bond, making up for lost time as they reconnect as sisters. And it's not just Susan who loves her - Ed is taken with his new sister-in-law as are the children.
Then fractures start to appear in the new relationship. Karen - who now calls herself Carly - doesn't want to talk about the past and won't answer questions about why she disappeared, much to Susan's frustration. The children reveal some unpleasant news about their Aunt and Ed is grappling with feelings that go beyond brother-in-law affection.
The suspense is pretty constant throughout, as you wonder exactly why Karen did disappear and what she is hiding now. The author has created some interesting characters, especially Ed - who I found to be very much all front and little substance. You are kept guessing right until the end and my only complaint would be that there were a few loose ends that I would have liked tied up a little more.
Overall, though, this is a fantastic read, with many twists and turns that kept me enthralled from start to finish.
Susan Middleton is living a comfortable suburban life in Sydney. Married to the unexciting but stable Ed and with two young children, she has managed to overcome the trauma of seeing her older sister disappear more than twenty years before and watching her mother suffer mental illness until her recent death. Her mother's will, however, has a major twist. Before the estate can be settled, efforts must be made to locate Susan's missing sister Karen, so she can claim her inheritance. Similar to The Mistake, Wendy James has taken a compelling topic and spun it into a mystery that captured my attention from the first page.
Susan doesn't know how to feel when Karen reappears. But they soon forge a close bond, making up for lost time as they reconnect as sisters. And it's not just Susan who loves her - Ed is taken with his new sister-in-law as are the children.
Then fractures start to appear in the new relationship. Karen - who now calls herself Carly - doesn't want to talk about the past and won't answer questions about why she disappeared, much to Susan's frustration. The children reveal some unpleasant news about their Aunt and Ed is grappling with feelings that go beyond brother-in-law affection.
The suspense is pretty constant throughout, as you wonder exactly why Karen did disappear and what she is hiding now. The author has created some interesting characters, especially Ed - who I found to be very much all front and little substance. You are kept guessing right until the end and my only complaint would be that there were a few loose ends that I would have liked tied up a little more.
Overall, though, this is a fantastic read, with many twists and turns that kept me enthralled from start to finish.
December 12, 2012
Earlier this year I read The Mistake by Wendy James and promptly added her backlist to my wishlist. Where have You Been? was long listed for the Ned Kelly Award in 2010, and is a gripping psychological thriller.
When Susan was just eight her adored teenage half sister, Karen, disappeared on her way to her school formal, and was never found. More than twenty years later Susan is shocked to discover her mother's will divides her sizable estate between Susan and her missing sister. Though legally required to conduct a search, Susan does not expect anything to come of it and is stunned when her mother's lawyer announces that a woman claiming to be Karen, now known as Carly, has come forward. Though initially skeptical, Susan is thrilled to have found her sister and with the support of her husband Ed Middleton, welcomes her into her family.
The premise of Where Have You Been? hinges on the identity of Carly, a woman who vaguely resembles Susan's missing sister and is able to provide just enough information to convince Susan, and Ed, that she is genuine. As Carly insinuates herself into Susan and Ed's life, James skilfully exploits the ambiguities of the situation, the inconclusive DNA test, Carly's reticence in revealing her past, to keep the reader off balance. Tension continues to build as Carly's behaviour becomes increasingly disturbing and relationships begin to fracture under the strain of the reunion.
The characters are intriguing, Carly's presence exposes weaknesses in Susan and Ed that would likely have remained hidden had she not crossed their path. Yet by obscuring Carly's true identity, James is able to evoke some sympathy for her, at least until her secrets are revealed. Through alternating perspectives we are privy to Susan's growing frustration of Carly's refusal to answer her questions and Ed's infatuation with his exotic sister in law, while Carly reveals to the reader her glee at corrupting their comfortable suburban existence.
Much like with The Mistake, Where Have You Been? builds to a startling conclusion that took me by surprise, but didn't quite answer all my questions. Where Have You Been? is an intriguing suburban thriller that kept me enthralled and I recommend it to fans of writers such as Honey Brown, Jaye Ford and Caroline Overington.
October 5, 2012
As a young girl, Susan loved and adored her big sister Karen. So on the night of Karen’s school formal, Susan sat and watched her getting ready, with her beautiful dress, gorgeous hair and make-up making Susan very happy. But that was probably the last time she was happy, as Karen didn’t return from the formal, and upon investigation, it seemed she didn’t even arrive. She disappeared between home and her girlfriend’s house and no trace of her was ever found.
Susan’s family life shattered, her Mum withdrew into herself, her parents divorced, there was a new step Mum….nothing was ever the same again.
But now, Susan and Ed Middleton are happily married, with two children and are perfectly content with their lives near the beach in a suburb of Sydney. When Susan’s Mum passes away, the solicitor handling her will informed Susan there was a part to it which said every effort had to be made to find Karen before the inheritance could be claimed. If Karen didn’t come forward, Susan would inherit everything, but they had to put an announcement in the paper first.
When a woman calling herself Carly, but who said she was Karen, appeared on the scene, Susan had to work out if she really was Karen. But Carly had had a terrible life for the past 20 years, including a jail term, drugs and prostitution...She was different, but she would be…wouldn’t she, after all that time? As she works at convincing Susan of her authenticity, and integrates herself into the family, suspicions are aroused.
Is this woman Karen? Ed thinks she is, even though he didn’t know her in the past….And why do things seem to be spiralling out of control in the Middleton’s formerly ordered lives? This psychological thriller is gripping and incredibly tense. I felt like yelling at Susan a few times…and I definitely wanted to slap Carly! A great read by Aussie author Wendy James.
Susan’s family life shattered, her Mum withdrew into herself, her parents divorced, there was a new step Mum….nothing was ever the same again.
But now, Susan and Ed Middleton are happily married, with two children and are perfectly content with their lives near the beach in a suburb of Sydney. When Susan’s Mum passes away, the solicitor handling her will informed Susan there was a part to it which said every effort had to be made to find Karen before the inheritance could be claimed. If Karen didn’t come forward, Susan would inherit everything, but they had to put an announcement in the paper first.
When a woman calling herself Carly, but who said she was Karen, appeared on the scene, Susan had to work out if she really was Karen. But Carly had had a terrible life for the past 20 years, including a jail term, drugs and prostitution...She was different, but she would be…wouldn’t she, after all that time? As she works at convincing Susan of her authenticity, and integrates herself into the family, suspicions are aroused.
Is this woman Karen? Ed thinks she is, even though he didn’t know her in the past….And why do things seem to be spiralling out of control in the Middleton’s formerly ordered lives? This psychological thriller is gripping and incredibly tense. I felt like yelling at Susan a few times…and I definitely wanted to slap Carly! A great read by Aussie author Wendy James.
February 15, 2022
For me, the strength of a domestic thriller lies in the ordinariness of its characters. The more these people resemble the humdrum existence of the ordinary citizen – in this case the stay at home mum who is satisfied with cleaning the house, look after her children and put dinner on the table for her husband – the more sinister the plot appears. If this can happen to any boring, ordinary, tax-paying citizen, this could happen to any of us! Let’s also make it clear that James’ novel is set in the 90’s, a time before you could jump on social media and the internet and find out everything about everyone else, and the premise will appear a lot more believable.
In 1975, Susan’s sister Karen sets out for her high school formal and never comes home. Now, twenty years later, Susan is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children of her own. Her mother has recently died after a long illness, never fully recovering from her elder daughter’s disappearance. In her will, she leaves the family home to both her daughters, and the family solicitor informs Susan that every effort must be made to locate her missing sister. In the 90’s, this involved placing an advertisement in several prominent papers and weeding out the frauds (remember these ads?). To Susan’s surprise, a woman comes forward claiming to be Karen. Now living under the name Carly, she has knowledge of family matters that convince the family solicitor that she must indeed be Karen, despite an inconclusive DNA test.
Initially resistant, Susan eventually welcomes Carly into her home, thrilled to have found her long lost sister. Soon Carly skilfully inserts herself into the family, winning over even Susan’s sceptical husband Ed and the trust of their two children, and moving into the family home.
With themes of sisterhood, family and belonging, James presents a tale that is heavy with foreboding and peppered with the seeds of mistrust as the reader follows the family’s journey from here forward. I know that I certainly had my own thoughts about Carly, and witnessing the ensuing chaos was like watching an impending train wreck. Like in her novel THE ACCUSATION (which I loved), James always leaves an element of doubt in all possible scenarios. What if Carly is the real deal? What actually did happen to Karen on that fateful night?
Personally, I found parts of the story a little bit lacking or perhaps just too ambiguous to make this premise work to its best effect. Susan was merely an ordinary, nice, trusting person who longed for family (aka her lost sister), and I generally just felt sad for her as she generously let Carly into their fold. As a “thriller” I was missing elements of suspense or the social critique that would make me either resent Susan or Ed for being greedy or middle class snobs (i.e. be on team Carly), or feel a burning hatred for the obvious impostor Carly (i.e. be on team Susan). As it was, I only felt somewhat deflated and was left with more questions than answers (which may have been the author’s intent). That said, I am still thinking about these characters long after I have moved on to another book, so there is definitely something in James writing that always gets under my skin, and I am eagerly awaiting her future novels.
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In 1975, Susan’s sister Karen sets out for her high school formal and never comes home. Now, twenty years later, Susan is married to her high school sweetheart and has two children of her own. Her mother has recently died after a long illness, never fully recovering from her elder daughter’s disappearance. In her will, she leaves the family home to both her daughters, and the family solicitor informs Susan that every effort must be made to locate her missing sister. In the 90’s, this involved placing an advertisement in several prominent papers and weeding out the frauds (remember these ads?). To Susan’s surprise, a woman comes forward claiming to be Karen. Now living under the name Carly, she has knowledge of family matters that convince the family solicitor that she must indeed be Karen, despite an inconclusive DNA test.
Initially resistant, Susan eventually welcomes Carly into her home, thrilled to have found her long lost sister. Soon Carly skilfully inserts herself into the family, winning over even Susan’s sceptical husband Ed and the trust of their two children, and moving into the family home.
With themes of sisterhood, family and belonging, James presents a tale that is heavy with foreboding and peppered with the seeds of mistrust as the reader follows the family’s journey from here forward. I know that I certainly had my own thoughts about Carly, and witnessing the ensuing chaos was like watching an impending train wreck. Like in her novel THE ACCUSATION (which I loved), James always leaves an element of doubt in all possible scenarios. What if Carly is the real deal? What actually did happen to Karen on that fateful night?
Personally, I found parts of the story a little bit lacking or perhaps just too ambiguous to make this premise work to its best effect. Susan was merely an ordinary, nice, trusting person who longed for family (aka her lost sister), and I generally just felt sad for her as she generously let Carly into their fold. As a “thriller” I was missing elements of suspense or the social critique that would make me either resent Susan or Ed for being greedy or middle class snobs (i.e. be on team Carly), or feel a burning hatred for the obvious impostor Carly (i.e. be on team Susan). As it was, I only felt somewhat deflated and was left with more questions than answers (which may have been the author’s intent). That said, I am still thinking about these characters long after I have moved on to another book, so there is definitely something in James writing that always gets under my skin, and I am eagerly awaiting her future novels.
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June 26, 2010What would you do if your teenage sister just simply disappeared when you were a little girl. And then reappeared at about the same time as your mother's estate was to be distributed?
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? by Wendy James explores what Susan and Ed Middleton do when Susan's long-lost sister Karen - now known as Carly - reappears in response to a lawyer's advertisement. Susan isn't sure she'll be able to identify her sister, and Carly is definitely not the same sort of woman as Susan - but there do seem to be some memories they share, some nicknames, or events that gel, and Susan is eventually eager to accept the return of her sister. She's more than willing to invite her into her home, more than willing to spend time with her, more than willing to share her inheritance with her. Less than willing to share her husband.
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? is a psychological thriller, completely without a murder, the only death is Susan's mother and that was natural. The book works forwards from the time of Carly's return into Susan's life as well as backwards as Susan remembers life with her parents after her sister disappeared, as they separated and her mother became more and more odd and obsessed.
Carly's had a much tougher, more raw life than Susan and bits and pieces of who she has become are revealed as the book progresses, at the same time as the events that created the woman that is Susan are described. If these two women are sisters, it's really hard to imagine two more different woman - one hard-bitten, worldly, tough. The other sheltered, naive, sad. The fascinating thing about WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? is where does it go. The ending is going to intrigue or disappoint you, depending on whether you're a fan of ambiguity or not.
Wendy James really is one of those Australian authors who deserves a much wider audience. Let's hope the long-listing in the 2010 Ned Kelly Awards is the start of that.
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? by Wendy James explores what Susan and Ed Middleton do when Susan's long-lost sister Karen - now known as Carly - reappears in response to a lawyer's advertisement. Susan isn't sure she'll be able to identify her sister, and Carly is definitely not the same sort of woman as Susan - but there do seem to be some memories they share, some nicknames, or events that gel, and Susan is eventually eager to accept the return of her sister. She's more than willing to invite her into her home, more than willing to spend time with her, more than willing to share her inheritance with her. Less than willing to share her husband.
WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? is a psychological thriller, completely without a murder, the only death is Susan's mother and that was natural. The book works forwards from the time of Carly's return into Susan's life as well as backwards as Susan remembers life with her parents after her sister disappeared, as they separated and her mother became more and more odd and obsessed.
Carly's had a much tougher, more raw life than Susan and bits and pieces of who she has become are revealed as the book progresses, at the same time as the events that created the woman that is Susan are described. If these two women are sisters, it's really hard to imagine two more different woman - one hard-bitten, worldly, tough. The other sheltered, naive, sad. The fascinating thing about WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN? is where does it go. The ending is going to intrigue or disappoint you, depending on whether you're a fan of ambiguity or not.
Wendy James really is one of those Australian authors who deserves a much wider audience. Let's hope the long-listing in the 2010 Ned Kelly Awards is the start of that.
April 14, 2014
Hmmm. Quite a different plot structure. The ending..... ??? It could go either way. Would a happy ever after ending be more satisfying than one that is not? Do we favour novels that reflect our life or do we enjoy ones that don't ? I have to admit I read the ending before I finished but it really did not enlighten me all that much, though my suspicions were confirmed. But there is a sting in the tale. Or is there?? An ebook from ACT Library.
September 30, 2020
it was an intense read and the book managed to keep my interest to the very end. I was not happy with the finale, the resolution was not completely satisfactory to accept, but the characters were very real and the plot is smart and unpredictable.
July 30, 2024
DNF. Wow, this was so boring I just couldn't continue.
May 30, 2010
Wendy James has written an engrossing mystery with Where Have You Been? which plunges the reader straight into the characters and their growth right from the prologue.
Karen is seventeen when she floats off to her high school formal looking like Cinderella, according to her baby sister Susan, and is never seen again. Twenty years later when Susan's mother dies and leaves her estate divided equally to both girls. What to do when Karen is presumed dead?
Susan, husband Ed and their two children's rather dreary conservative lives are totally disrupted with the appearance of Karen, now Carly, claiming to be her sister. Susan is forced to come to terms with Carly's way of life so alien to her protected experience and Ed and the children's delight with their exciting aunt.
James draws you into this family drama with her compelling personalities to whisk you on a journey wondering who will do what next until the last page.
May 3, 2016
The restraint shown by the author in the telling of this story is terrific. I am so used to psychological thrillers being edge of your seat reads (they kind of miss the psychological bit!!!) But the characters in this story truly did play with my head. It took a while to see where the story was going, but once I got an inkling, I could not put the book down. The writing is not overdone, as is the case with some thrillers. Incredible characterisation. This would make a great movie. Suburban noir is all the rage right now (what with Liane Moriaty's success) and I have to say, Wendy James is right up there. I have also read The Mistake. Excellent.
January 9, 2016
Karen Brown reappears after being missing for twenty years. Is she really Susan’s lost sister or is she an imposter? The novel is written from three points of view: Susan, her ‘everyman’ husband Ed and occasionally from Karen’s (or Carly as she now calls herself). The novel is well written, tense, at times humorous and touching but in the end has too many incidents and characters’ actions that lack credibility.
March 17, 2014
I found this book to be quite frustrating to read! The general plot was good but I felt the characters were hard to believe. The ending paragraph left me with questions.... I really don't like books that leave things "up in the air". I would like to know if anyone else thought the ending strange, especially the reflection of Susan and the mirror.
April 12, 2014
This is my 2nd Wendy James and I'm liking her tone and creation of voice. There are some recognisable characterisations, all familiar all adding to the ordinariness of suburban life making the plot all the more frightening. Wheel done and a lovely clever twist at the end.
January 30, 2013
Keeps you guessing til the end.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews