Rene Denfeld

Wow! This book is ambitious! It’s told from multiple points of view and in different time periods and I enjoyed and admired how that was done.. It connects different losses and different reunions (including with different species.) It addresses abuses in foster care and child “treatment” and child “therapy” and some wild animal rights issues too, and a lot happens. A lot! For the most part it worked. I’ve read and enjoyed other books by this author so I knew some of what to expect. I could have done without the current time characters being put in danger (though I knew that would happen) and a few other things but I guess it all made sense. I had to suspend disbelief a time or two but what happened wasn’t so unbelievable that it was eye rolling worthy. I cared about many of the characters and was particularly happy about one happy ending, even though it was imperfect given a sad loss that pretty much simultaneously happens. The book is utterly heartbreaking at times but also heartwarming.

I thought that “holding time” had been outlawed but maybe not. I know that no place I know of allows it or is it considered acceptable practice.

The author sure understands the wounded people who think they are doing the right thing but are instead inflicting damage on others. I did correctly guess the murderer and the circumstances but I wasn’t certain until the reveal. I did not guess the surprise twist at the end.

The author’s children were adopted out of the foster care system and she knows of what she writes. I appreciate how she can make a statement about real atrocities and nearly seamlessly incorporate them into a fictional story.

I read this book in two days, mostly because I abdicated most of my responsibilities and stayed home for two days and took a lot of time to read but also because the book completely held my attention.… (more)