Wow - what conflicting feelings I have about this one. I don't usually love books that are just plain sad, and well... this book has very little happiness. I was recommended this one by a friend of mine, saying she couldn't put it down, and I can see why. As a mother, this book has so many things going on that go right to the heart of being a mother: the desperate wanting of a child, the loss of children, the hope and wonder and infinite joy that children can bring to families.
I will not give anything away on this one. Perhaps I was in the minority on not really knowing which way the book would go. I was anxious to finish it however, because I felt so much nervousness and sadness for virtually every character in the book and just sort of wanted everyone to get out of their grief-stricken lives! That doesn't make it a "bad" book at all - just well-written tragedy. I am needing desperately something a bit more upbeat, but I think more books lately just deal with loss and grief. Hmmm.
Did I like it? I did... Would I recommend it? Definitely... it is a great debut novel. Rating? 4 out of 5 stars.
