Author Karen Winn has a doctoral degree in nursing and an MFA from Fairleigh Dickinson, and she can definitely WRITE. Her first book (hard to believe) is Our Little World, and it grabs the reader instantly and is memorable on so many different levels. Set in 1985, it follows the lives of Bee (full name Borka — really?) and Audrina, young sisters who are totally close — until they aren’t. 

Drina is the golden girl, and Bee always “…felt as if I were a puzzle piece that had accidentally gotten tossed into the wrong box.” and she knows that although she doesn’t specifically “...know when it all changed between us, but it did.” They had been inseparable but Bee “…realized there was no longer Audrina-and-me. There was Audrina. And me.” 

One summer day, Bee and Drina are joined by the new neighbor kids, teenage son Max and his cute little sister, 4-year-old Sally, for a trip to the local lake where they all swim and play until Sally goes missing — never to be seen again. As  time passes, with no resolution to the mystery for a loooong time, the sisters’ world grows smaller while also becoming more dangerous. 

There are several stories going on at once: what happened to Sally? Will Bee and Audrina get over whatever it was that caused their rift? Is Max ever going to kiss Bee again, in a setting other than a spin the bottle game with friends? I loved the depiction of the sisterly bond, the complexity of family dynamics when tragedy occurs, the exploration of sibling rivalry and parental favoritism, and just the overall tone of both tension and mystery. With thanks to Penguin Group Dutton and NetGalley, this debut is a solid four stars, and I look forward to more from Ms. Winn!