When his girlfriend Saffy vanishes to escape a residential treatment center for her eating disorder, Fitz embarks on a desperate search through London to find her before she is lost to her own self-destruction. As Saffy struggles with the crushing weight of her internal turmoil, Fitz finds himself paralyzed by his inability to intervene, eventually triggering a chain of events that forces her to flee. The narrative alternates between the perspectives of the two lovers, contrasting their intimate, private crisis with the public, media-fueled obsession surrounding the disappearance of another young woman, Fate Jones. This dual-narrative framework highlights the disconnect between how individuals are perceived by the world and the hidden realities of their personal struggles.

This novel presents a somber examination of the intersection between mental health struggles and the pressures of young adulthood. The narrative structure effectively utilizes the dual voices of the protagonists to highlight the communication gaps that often define intimate relationships during times of crisis. By juxtaposing Saffy’s personal flight with the media frenzy surrounding a separate disappearance, the text invites readers to consider how society consumes the stories of missing individuals. The prose maintains a focus on the internal states of the characters, grounding the romantic elements in the harsh realities of psychological recovery and the difficulty of truly knowing another person.