LITTLE LOVELY THINGS By MAureen Joyce Connolly @suypprovedooktours

• Print Length: 304 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (April 2, 2019)
• Publication Date: April 2, 2019
• Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC

A mother's chance decision leads to a twist of fate that is every parent's worst nightmare

It is the wrong time to get sick. Speeding down the highway on the way to work, her two little girls sleeping in the back seat, medical resident Claire Rawlings doesn't have time for the nausea overtaking her. But as the world tilts sideways, she pulls into a gas station, runs to the bathroom, and passes out. When she wakes up minutes later, her car—and her daughters—are gone.

The police have no leads, and the weight of guilt presses down on Claire as each hour passes with no trace of her girls. All she has to hold on to are her strained marriage, a potentially unreliable witness who emerges days later, and the desperate but unquenchable belief that her daughters are out there somewhere.

As hopeful and uplifting as it is devastating, Little Lovely Things is the story of a family shattered by unthinkable tragedy, and the unexpected intersection of heartbreak and hope.

THOUGHTS/REVIEW:

This is a riveting story about a mother and a medical resident, Claire Rawlings, who was driving with her 2 daughters, 15 month old Lily and 4 yo Andrea, who suddenly becomes ill stopped at a gas station to go to the bathroom. Claire was so ill that she passes out in the bathroom and later finds that her car and both her daughters in it disappeared without a trace.

The police have no leads except for an unreliable witness from a Native American drifter who may have some knowledge about the disappearance. As each hour passes, the guilt envelops Claire and subsequently results in her troubled marriage as she desperately hangs on to the hope that her children are still alive somewhere.

The writing of this debut novel was raw, gripping and at the same time hopeful and uplifting. I enjoyed the story as told in multiple points of view which adds to this well written and well paced story. The story was written with a novel approach to the psychological trauma of the victims, the strains in relationships, feeling of hopelessness, guilt and blame.

When a chance decision becomes a catastrophic event, this book Little Lovely Things narrates the unthinkable nightmare no parent ever wants to go through. I highly recommend this book.


AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT:

Maureen Joyce Connolly is a former owner of a consulting firm that helped develop medications for ultra-rare diseases. While she misses her old career, she loves being a full-time writer. Maureen received her bachelor's degree in physiology from Michigan State University and her master's degree in liberal studies from Wesleyan University. Her background and love for science and the natural world informs and inspires her writing. Little Lovely Things is her debut novel.