This is the first book by Maggie James that I have had the pleasure of reading and it certainly won't be the last. What a wonderful piece of writing.  The story is told from two different viewpoints - Laura the 'mother' and her son Daniel. The pair have had a strained relationship. Laura is described by Daniel as a 'smother mother' and he finds her love almost over bearing. Despite her dedication and devotion to him, Daniel has never felt close to her. Never really felt she was his mother. Childhood memories of two women keep surfacing, leaving Daniel confused. His new girlfriend encourages Daniel to look more closely at his relationship with his mother and try to get some answers about his past. Daniel doesn't like what he finds.

Laura has had a life that is the stuff of nightmares. Being raised by an alcoholic mother is not the worst thing to happen to her. Finding herself pregnant as a teenager, Laura's life descends into further despair which leads to some poor decision making. On a very base level, all Laura has ever wanted is to be loved and not to feel so alone in the world.

I absolutely flew through this book. It was extremely difficult to put down and I almost became a little obsessed by how it would all turn out. My heart just absolutely bled for Laura reading about all the horrors of her life. Written in such a way, the reader could almost rationalise her actions. After all, what would you do if you were in her shoes! It was only as I was writing this review that the significance of the title hit me! Duh! 

The consequences of Daniel's kidnap as a child have far reaching implications for more people than Daniel and Laura. Lives are left in turmoil and now that Daniel knows the truth about his past , his future now feels uncertain. The story had me gripped right from the start. The suspense is breathtaking and takes you on an emotional roller coaster. A very moving book that explores many issues such as grief, loss, forgiveness and a need to belong. There are some hard hitting issues explored too. I think this is one book I'll be recommending to my book club!