Little lovely things A novel

Maureen J. Connolly

Book - 2019

If only things had been different 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 a...nd 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.

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FICTION/Connolly, Maureen
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Subjects
Genres
Thrillers (Fiction)
Novels
Published
Naperville, Il : Sourcebooks Landmark [2019]
Language
English
Main Author
Maureen J. Connolly (author)
Item Description
Includes reading group guide.
Physical Description
285 pages : 23 cm
ISBN
9781492672494
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Claire Rawlings is more than overwhelmed when she pulls into the parking lot of a gas station and races into the bathroom. She is in her medical residency, working all-nighters, and mothering two-year-old Lily and four-year-old Andrea. Her body responded violently to a hepatitis vaccine, required for her medical work, and when she returns from the bathroom, her car is gone, with her children inside. What follows is Claire's journey to hell and back, as time ticks by with no trace of the kids. The narrative flips from Claire's perspective to that of Moira, the Irish traveling woman who spirits Claire's children away, and then to Jay, a Native American who becomes inexplicably connected to Claire and the girls. Debut author Connolly's poetic sensibility shines through the prose in scenes that shimmer with emotion. This novel is a tragedy more than anything it is not for the faint of heart but hope is present throughout, a beacon carrying the reader to the final pages. Fans of Clare O'Donohue's Missing Persons (2011) will enjoy this one.--Cari Dubiel Copyright 2019 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Debut author Connolly explores the emotional devastation that plays out after a woman's young daughters mysteriously disappear. In 1991 Chicago, medical resident Claire Rawlings is driving her daughters to their daycare when she feels nauseous and stops at a gas station and rushes to the rest room and passes out. When she regains consciousness, Claire discovers that her car and her daughters, four-year-old Andrea and 15-month-old Lily, are gone. Police have few clues about who may have taken the girls. The impact on the lives of Claire and her husband, Glen, is shattering, and their marriage begins to unravel. As years pass and Claire can't shake the guilt about feeling responsible for the disappearance of her daughters, she questions why Glen has never voiced his blame of her. Claire eventually meets with Jay White, a drifter who has given police some information that has assisted them in their investigation of the abduction of Lily and Andrea; Claire believes he may have psychic powers, leaving her with a sense of hope that her daughters are still alive. Connolly's lyrical writing style and the fast-paced narrative draw in the reader right away. This is a riveting novel bolstered by its flawed, believable characters. Agent: Heather Karpas, ICM Partners. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

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