What Was Mine
At first I felt irate as the story unfolded and then I reached the point where I was enraged at the behavior of the main character, how she could justify her actions and ruin the lives of so many others around her and not confess her crime. Inside her head, she knew she was wrong, yet every day she rationalizes her decisions and thought of herself as a savior. She saved Mia, she saved her from a life without her natural-born parents, who had stepped away for just a few minutes so Lucy could step in and claim her. As the years pass, the lies fall off her tongue so quickly and easily, Mia’s childhood is woven with decent and fabrications from her mother. Reading Marilyn’s side of the story, I am like her and would never give up hope, searching for my daughter whom someone took from me. Marilyn life is shattered when she loses her baby in IKEA. It’s a parent’s worst nightmare and I myself, would be devastated and I can’t even imagine what I would do under these circumstances. It’s not long before Marilyn’s marriage ends and guilt consumes her. With help from a support group, Marilyn is learning to cope with her loss yet she still has illusions of seeing or hearing her daughter as her daughter is constantly on her mind. Reading both Lucy’s and Marilyn’s stories together, I wondered when their stories would collide and what the outcome will be? I feared for Mia, her life has been a sheltered disarray but I feel that how they presented themselves to her might just be the answer to her confusion.
Reading both sides of the narrative, we are exposed to both sides of the story. I enjoyed reading them simultaneously as they both went down different paths and they both centered on Mia. Mia is confused when she learns the truth about her family. What is reality and where is home for her now are her biggest questions. The emotions of the characters involved are not all in sync as the story unfolds and I enjoyed that the author choose this mix of sensitivity as we see different views and these views conflict each another. The story is not one full of emotions and I was surprised by that. I did enjoy this novel as the author included many avenues and painted a full picture. This was a journey, an adventure that changed the lives of numerous individuals because of one person’s desires and selfish wants.
Thank you NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for providing me a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
