The Lost Child by Emily Gunnis
Genre: Suspense, Mystery, Historical fiction, Chick lit
Read: 5th March 2020
Purchase: Amazon
(publication date: 9th January 2020)
★★★★★ 5 stars
Emily Gunnis is a new author for me so having come across THE LOST CHILD and after reading the premise, I had no idea what to expect. I needn't have worried because this superb novel had me hooked from the very first page. In fact, I would have finished it in under a day had it not been real life getting in the way and diverting my attention.
In 1945, Jacob Waterhouse returns from war having served in the D-Day landings at Normandy which has haunted him day and night ever since. He returns a shell of a man of who he was before the war, suffering constant nightmares and flashbacks and no clue how to deal with the horrors he saw there. His wife Harriet, looking forward to his return, doesn't recognise the man that is her husband and has no idea how to help him. They take up a position in service for the Bartons at their sprawling estate - he as a gardener and she as a lady's maid. Until fate intervenes and changes their lives forever.
In 1952, Harriet Waterhouse faces a dilemma when she receives word that her husband Jacob is to be released from the mental institution he has been in for the past five years. Having lived with his nightmares, anger and violence from the time he came back from the war till the day he was carted off to the institution, Harriet is unsure what to expect. But things are different now. Harriet has 5 year old Rebecca to think about and Jacob's violent outbursts have no place in their new found peace at Seaview Cottage.
In 1960, 13 year old Rebecca Waterhouse faces a tragedy and she witnesses the horrific murder of her mother at the hands of her father before shooting himself. She is taken into custody and questioned at length by police which bordered on badgering the young girl who had, in effect, now been left an orphan. Police are certain there is more to the incident than Rebecca is letting on and that she is hiding information paramount to the investigation. But Rebecca never wavers in her account. Police let her go and she returns to live at Seaview Farm with her neighbour Ted Roberts and his son Harvey.
In 2014, Jessie Roberts goes into labour and delivers a baby girl whom she names Elizabeth, after her deceased stepmother. But Jessie, who had been anxious prior to the birth, now becomes convinced that the doctors are trying to harm her newborn daughter and that the antibiotics given to her for a life-threatening infection are poison. She refuses to consent to the treatment and early the next morning she leaves the hospital, taking her sick newborn daughter with her. Her father Harvey is frantic with worry as he fears history repeating itself in the form of post natal psychosis which afflicted her mother Rebecca just after Jessie was born almost four decades ago. She displays all the same signs as Rebecca did and now that Jessie has fled with her sick daughter, if Elizabeth doesn't receive her antibiotics within 12 hours, her chances of survival are slim.
Iris Waterhouse is Jessie's half sister and a journalist. So when their mother Rebecca rings Iris pleading with her to help find her sister, Iris must use her contacts and her position as a journalist to delve into the past to discover why Jessie fled. Her mother never talks about her past, particularly the night of her parent's deaths, so Iris must use all her nous to uncover the truth.
Meanwhile, a mysterious patient arrives at the hospital to receive urgent care in the midst of Jessie's disappearance. We are privy to their confusing thoughts that border on the incoherent ramblings of a mental patient as we try to make sense of what their words mean and where their story fits into the one already unfolding.
Told in three main timelines - 1945 to 1952, 1960 and 2014 - everything comes back to Seaview Cottage. What role does Seaview play in a terrified mother's life? What links Seaview from the past to the present? And will the Cottage finally reveal the truth that has remained hidden for so long? As the individual stories unravel, we discover the link that ties them all together whilst gaining an understanding of post natal psychosis, guilt, secrets and the unbreakable love of a mother for her child.
There is so much pain, hurt and misunderstanding embedded deep within the story of this family but it is also heartbreakingly real. The complex nature of families is outlined with sensitivity and understanding as shocking secrets are ultimately revealed, bringing the story full circle.
An intriguing mystery combined with historical fiction and a touch of chick lit, THE LOST CHILD is a compelling tale of mothers and daughters and of love and forgiveness. Heartwrenching and emotional, this story is utterly absorbing that you will not want to put down.
As the combined narratives unfold to weave the three storylines together, readers will gain an insight into mental health issues such as post natal psychosis and the effect war has on returning soldiers. THE LOST CHILD is, at times, heartbreaking but above all it is a beautiful and touching story that will have you reaching for the Kleenex by the story's end.
So if you enjoy books in dual timeline format with a touch of mystery and a touch of history, I highly recommend this beautiful story that is heartbreaking, emotional, intriguing, compelling and suspenseful right up to the very last page with one final twist that is so shockingly good I wasn't expecting it.
I have not yet read "The Girl in the Letter" but after reading this gem I am looking forward to losing myself to it!
I would like to thank #EmilyGunnis, #NetGalley and #Headline for an ARC of #TheLostChild in exchange for an honest review.
No comments:
Post a Comment