Married to a minister and living in Hawaii, Abbe has managed to put her childhood in South Africa behind her. Until, that is, her 3-year-old daughter is struck by a car and killed. With her world in shatters around her, Abbe questions her faith, her marriage, and those childhood memories. Not until she returns to South Africa is she able to move forward with her life.
I had to force myself to read this book. It came highly recommended but it was still difficult to pick up a book when I knew going into it that a child dies. Abbe's grief and inability to move on with her life is clearly and heartbreakingly described. At times I wanted to shake her and tell her to just get over it - and at others I was right there with her in her despair. Scenes from her childhood are interspersed with her present day life and I found the insight into pre-apartheid South Africa to be very interesting.
Not an easy read but one I ultimately enjoyed.
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