Elizabeth Is Missing discussion

Did anyone feel slightly disappointed with the mystery behind Maud's older sister's disappearance and the eventually discovery of Elizabeth's whereabouts?
I thought Maud's sister's demise was a little bit too conveniently and quickly (literally a couple of pages) resolved. Plus Elizabeth was never even missing in the first place. Maud had all these theories of what had happened to her and went to several different lengths to find her (the police, placing an ad in the paper etc) but never thought of the one obvious place she could be - hospital.
I felt the ending was a bit flat.

I felt that Maud was confusing the two matters, jumbling her not finding her friend at her home with her sister's disappearance all those years ago. I suspect that Maud often had moments of lucidity here and there (especially near the beginning of the book, before she started to forget even her daughter and granddaughter), where she remembered that Elizabeth was in the hospital, but we didn't hear those thoughts as it would have spoiled the "mystery."

I agree Verna. She was confusing the two. That's why she never thought to look in the hospital.

I don't believe Maud was confused between her sister and Elizabeth's disappearance simply because she could remember her childhood, when her sister vanished, right down to the most minute detail.
Yet when she believed Elizabeth was missing no confusion was alluded between the two at all. Childhood memories never overlapped with present day. She was certain at one point that Elizabeth's son had some part in Elizabeth going missing. She systematically went through all manners of tying to discover her but never thought of the hospital.
I felt her past memories and present day memories were completely differentiated, which was shown with the perfect clarity she displayed when recalling her childhood. It's just that present day to day life was becoming increasingly difficult for her due to the deterioration of her mind.
Though we're not told exactly what her mental illness is (having had experience with someone with dementia), I assumed this was her condition. People with dementia have no problem remembering exact details of the early parts of their lives but recollection problems occur with what's happening in current situations. They never confuse the two.
I personally found the mystery of Maud's sister more intriguing than what had happened to Elizabeth.

I found the story disappointing. I wouldn't even have finished it, had it not been for us reading this book for our book club. I found it boring and the ending certainly didn't do anything to help the lack of suspense.

Russ wrote: "I don't believe Maud was confused between her sister and Elizabeth's disappearance simply because she could remember her childhood, when her sister vanished, right down to the most minute detail.
Y..."

I agree, her sister's disappearance caught my attention more.

I only wanted to know who did it to Suckey and why...only that

I think the novel was extremely well done, and somehow managed to convey the experience of dementia from the inside. Of course the great irony of the parallel narratives was that Maud had a perfect memory of the earlier disappearance from decades ago, yet could scarcely remember a thing about the present day.

The author showed clearly the distress felt by many sufferers of dementia who can make little sense of the present day, coupled with Mauds distress and clear memories of her missing sister when she was a child. It was easy to feel for her, it was both moving and insightful

I think it was inevitable the ending to be honest. those who suffer from the condition live in this endless cycle of events.