Synopsis: 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?
4 Stars from me!
Personally I’d have called this ‘Be Careful What You Wish For’, I didn’t see any tie in or relevance to the title.
But, boy, is this a page turner!
The narrative is entirely from the perspective of central character and bereaved mother, Geniver Loxley which means you view the story as it unfolds through her eyes and with her feelings and slant on the scenes as they unfold.
Although a fair chunk of this book does require you to suspend believability, it is still a fast paced, gripping read. More importantly for me was that it pulled me total into the emotions within the story – I too felt confused by Art; was he the real deal? Could he really have been lying to her for all those years? Was he more of a victim than she was?
I though that if you can gloss over a few things here and there then this is well worth reading and it is most certainly one that will keep you guessing till the end.
4 stars instead of 5 because of the unbelievable aspects and because I just didn’t think the Lorcan character worked. He couldn’t really be all those different personality types, in my view.
Read and Rated 