It's been eight years since Gen Loxley lost her daughter, Beth: eight years of grief in which nothing's really moved forward, for all that her husband, Art, wills it to. Gen, once a writer of novels, has settled in to a life of half-hearted teaching, while Art makes his name and their fortune - and pressures her into trying IVF once again. For Gen, it seems a cruel act of replacement; life without Beth is unthinkable, unbearable - but still it goes on. And then a woman arrives on Gen's doorstep, saying the very thing she longs to hear: that her daughter was not stillborn, but was spirited away as a healthy child, and is out there, waiting to be found...So why is Art reluctant to get involved? To save his wife from further hurt? Or something much more sinister? What is the truth about Beth Loxley?
My Thoughts
I will admit upfront I don't read a lot of books written for grown ups. My brain just can't handle it. This therefore means on the rare occasion I do read one and it holds my interest it has to have something special about it. That said I have read a lot of Sophie McKenzie and enjoyed them all and for me this book was a typical example of her work: fast paced with lots of twists and a storyline which hooks you from the first page.
I won't tell you too much about the storyline as there is so much that goes on that whatever I say will spoil the story for you. However I will say you will get completely drawn in by Gen's story and find yourself staying up late at night to read more and more as you'll need to know what happens next. Quite honestly I finished this in one sitting as I was incapable of putting it down. The whole thing was put together really well and I found myself constantly surprised about the latest revelation.
One thing I do need to talk about is the last chapter. Oh my word what a way to end a book! It left me stunned, was totally unexpected and really made me think about all kinds of things I can't discuss for fear of spoiling it. I shall be pushing my copy on someone else to read ASAP just so I can discuss it with them!
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