(Image from Barnes & Noble)
As a wife, mother, and medical student in the final phase of her program, Claire Rawlings has been running on nothing but fumes. When the stress catches up with her, making her violently ill, it comes at the exact wrong moment. Speeding through Chicago to get her girls to daycare on time, she makes an emergency stop at a gas station's outside restroom. Desperately sick, Claire leaves her sleeping children in the car right outside the bathroom, rushes inside, and vomits until she passes out on the filthy floor. When she wakes, her car has vanished—along with her two daughters.
Plagued by guilt, Claire can think of nothing but her missing children, 15-month-old Lily, and 4-year-old Andrea. As the months and years drag on with few leads, despair replaces hope, crumbling the Rawlings' marriage and the happiness that once characterized their family life. When Claire meets Jay White, a recovering alcoholic who claims to have inherited a gift for otherworldly "Feelings" from his Sioux grandmother, she dares to believe she may finally be able to find out what happened to her girls.
Little Lovely Things by Maureen Joyce Connolly is a riveting, one-sitting read that kept me completely transfixed. The characters are interesting, the plot tense, and the prose compelling. Although this one gets an R-rating for language and violence, it's not nearly as graphic as most thrillers. Overall, I really enjoyed this debut. I'll definitely be keeping an eye out for what Connolly does next.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer and You Are My Only by Beth Kephart)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of Little Lovely Things from the generous folks at Sourcebooks via those at NetGalley. Thank you!
How would you ever forgive yourself for leaving your children in the car only to have them disappear? What a nightmare!
ReplyDeleteThis one sounds really good. I can see why you would find it hard to put it down because I can't imagine a worse situation for a parent to find themselves in than this one. I'll have to take a look at my library to see if they have a copy available.
ReplyDeleteI completely love the way you described this and I am always on the lookout for one sitting reads, they really can be the best. Wonderful review!
ReplyDeleteGreat review. A parent's nightmare to be sure. Nothing gives a better endorsement to me as when a blogger tells me they devoured a book in one sitting. Adding this one for sure.
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