Escaping from an abusive partner, Alice and her young son, Oren, find themselves in upstate New York, looking for sanctuary. Mattie, a volunteer at a domestic abuse organization, is called upon to pick the two up. As you read the chapters told from Mattie's point of view, you learn that Oren reminds her of her long-dead younger brother, Caleb. From that point on, Mattie feels drawn to help Alice and Oren. As the story progresses, you learn that neither woman's backstory is as it seems. As a reader, you're constantly questioning, "Is there more to what she is saying?" "Are we finally at the truth of it?" "Can we trust her?"
As I said before, I don't think this is great literature. However, I have to hand it to Carol Goodman because this is a very complicated plot with little details interspersed that tie parts of the novel together. On the flip side, the plot is a bit fantastical and there are some scenes that just seem too improbable. (For example, when one of the antagonists breaks into Mattie's house and has time to stop and read through some of her father's old court cases! Another example are some of the supernatural/improbable things that occur. They're never explained very well and I wonder if the book could have gone without so much of it.)
Grade: B+
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