Emily, Gone

by Bette Lee Crosby

A missing child sets the lives of three women on a collision course in this powerful and compelling novel by USA Today bestselling author Bette Lee Crosby.

1971.

When a music festival rolls through the sleepy town of Hesterville, Georgia, the Dixon family’s lives are forever changed. On the final night, a storm muffles the sound of the blaring music, and Rachel tucks her baby into bed before falling into a deep sleep. So deep, she doesn’t hear the kitchen door opening. When she and her husband wake up in the morning, the crib is empty. Emily is gone.

Vicki Robart is one of the thousands at the festival, but she’s not feeling the music. She’s feeling the emptiness over the loss of her own baby several months before. When she leaves the festival and is faced with an opportunity to fill that void, she is driven to an act of desperation that will forever bind the lives of three women.

When the truth of what actually happened that fateful night is finally exposed, shattering the lives they’ve built, will they be able to pick up the pieces to put their families back together again?

Winner of the Royal Palm Literary Award for Women’s Fiction; the Readers’ Favorite Gold Medal for Southern Fiction; and the FAPA President’s Book Award for Women’s Fiction.

• ISBN10: 1542044928
• ISBN13: 9781542044929
• Publish Date: 30 April 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Amazon Publishing
• Imprint: Lake Union Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 398
• Language: English

Reviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

Travel with me to 1971 and the sleepy town of Hesterville, Georgia.

Losing a child is both unthinkable and unbearable. Crosby introduces us to three women. The one who birthed Emily, the one who took her, and the woman who raised her. This was a beautifully poignant story that shared the many facets of grief, love and motherhood. The story spans eighteen years and allows us into the lives of these women and their families.

Crosby relays her story from POVs of all three women and one of Rachel’s mother-in-law, whom I came to admire. There were also perspectives from a few secondary characters. I found these enhanced the story solidified the plot and gave depth to the characters’ emotions.

The author paints a portrait highlighting moments and weaving them into a tale that will touch you. From the music festival overwhelming a small southern town to the struggles a widow faces when her son takes a wife, and the emotional struggles of losing a child.

While I found fault with some characters’ actions, Crosby allowed me to feel their emotions, internal struggles and the depths of their reasonings. The story and events that unfolded felt plausible and genuine. The only niggle I had was with the reconnection but I will call it fate’s intervention.

The story wasn’t all sad, there were happy moments, significant milestones and growth allowing me to grow close to these characters. Rachel’s life was touching, and I connected with her.

This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer