Bring out your tissues and get ready to be highly tensed! This book may rock your world and break your heart at the same time!
This story wrenched, ached and hurt my heart deeply. Rebecca (Bec) Gray, widowed mother suffers from degenerative disease and loses her vision, and the darkness grows and seeps through her life, slowly destroys everything she worked on. And she has responsibility of her three month old baby Jackson. She needs to accept more help! How can she handle all those burdens and move on her life? And the worst part starts one day at the park, she thinks her baby replaced with other one but when she informs the authorities, nobody believes her. But a mother always knows. This is instinctive! When you give birth to a child you share a sacred place from your soul and your heart with him/her. This unique bond will always stay between a mother and child.
Does Bec suffer from another psychological illness called Capgras delusion (Cotard’s syndrome): people who experience it will have an irrational belief that someone they know or recognize has been replaced by an imposter. It can be associated with brain injury, schizophrenia and Alzheimer. But Rebecca only loses her vision not also her mind! At least we want to believe in her story and root for her from the beginning.
We’re also introduced with Crystal who lives a few blocks away, recently widowed, raising her ten year old daughter Savi and their nanny Pam. She and Bec form a genuine friendship at their grief support meetings. She is the other narrator of the story, suffering from depression and loss. She and daughter try to help Rebecca, supporting her even though they seem suspicious about her declarations about her replaced son story.
I liked the idea of the plot and gripping, depressing, dark atmosphere of the story but there are so much repeating which ruined the building mystery a little. The ending was still great but some parts are predictable. It was still emotional, terrifying, tear jerking, provocative and effective story about grief, friendship, loneliness, motherhood, depression. The conclusion was satisfying and writing was riveting.
I cut some points for plot holes and illogical parts (Forensics may solve the problem by blood test to make sure Rebecca was not delusional.) and repeating drama. But I’m still rounding up 3.5 stars to 4 because of the promising plot and great outcome of the story.
I’m looking forward to read more books of the author.
Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for sharing this heart wrenching ARC with me in exchange my honest review.