Gripping, emotional, and wire-taut, Not Her Daughter raises the question of what it means to be a mother—and how far someone will go to keep a child safe.
Emma Townsend. Five years old. Gray eyes, brown hair. Missing since June.
Emma is lonely. Living with her cruel mother and clueless father, Emma retreats into her own world of quiet and solitude.
Sarah Walker. Successful entrepreneur. Broken-hearted. Kidnapper.
Sarah has never seen a girl so precious as the gray-eyed child in a crowded airport terminal. When a second-chance encounter with Emma presents itself, Sarah takes her—far away from home. But if it’s to rescue a little girl from her damaging mother, is kidnapping wrong?
Amy Townsend. Unhappy wife. Unfit mother. Unsure whether she wants her daughter back.
Amy’s life is a string of disappointments, but her biggest issue is her inability to connect with her daughter. And now Emma is gone without a trace.
As Sarah and Emma avoid the nationwide hunt, they form an unshakeable bond. But what about Emma’s real mother, back at home? (synopsis from Amazon)
Emma Townsend. Five years old. Gray eyes, brown hair. Missing since June.
Emma is lonely. Living with her cruel mother and clueless father, Emma retreats into her own world of quiet and solitude.
Sarah Walker. Successful entrepreneur. Broken-hearted. Kidnapper.
Sarah has never seen a girl so precious as the gray-eyed child in a crowded airport terminal. When a second-chance encounter with Emma presents itself, Sarah takes her—far away from home. But if it’s to rescue a little girl from her damaging mother, is kidnapping wrong?
Amy Townsend. Unhappy wife. Unfit mother. Unsure whether she wants her daughter back.
Amy’s life is a string of disappointments, but her biggest issue is her inability to connect with her daughter. And now Emma is gone without a trace.
As Sarah and Emma avoid the nationwide hunt, they form an unshakeable bond. But what about Emma’s real mother, back at home? (synopsis from Amazon)
3.5 stars
NOT HER DAUGHTER will put you through your paces emotionally. The
story alternates between Amy, Emma's mother, and Sarah, her kidnapper,
while following events from both before, during, and after Emma
disappears.
My feelings toward Amy were ambivalent at best. It's hard not to
judge and she isn't a likeable character. I found her to be a hateful, bitter woman.
Sarah
is easier to understand, like, and relate to. How many times have we
witnessed or heard of children we wished we could have helped or saved.
Sarah acts on that impulse, but that doesn't make her right.
Both
women are in the wrong. Hence the moral dilemma. Emma's story raises
many difficult questions about our child protection system, highlighting
numerous flaws that allow children to be hurt or worse and fall through
the cracks.
There
were some questions regarding certain events and responses that niggled at me enough to keep this from
being a 4 star review. However, I can't say what they were
without giving too much away.
Overall, NOT HER DAUGHTER is well worth the reading time.
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