A missing child.
A shattered family.
A mother’s love that knows no bounds.
In 1984, two-year-old Robert disappeared from his cabin aboard The Carousel, a cruise ship in the Mediterranean, while his family slept nearby. Despite Kimberly and her husband Jason’s desperate efforts, Robert is never found.
Forty years later, Kimberly's daughter, Lily, now a psychotherapist juggling her career, family life, and her role as peacekeeper between her divorced parents, finds her world shaken.
When a new client, Zach, reveals haunting childhood memories of an "imaginary other mother," Lily begins to question the long-held belief that Robert drowned.
Told through three perspectives across different time periods, the book follows Kimberly, grappling with the devastation of her son’s disappearance in the 1980s; Lily, navigating the aftermath in the present day; and Sally, whose story unfolds in the 1960s, initially seems unrelated but eventually tying in.
The emotional depth of The Stolen Child is remarkable. Kimberly’s anguish and Lily’s struggle to escape the shadow of her brother’s disappearance are poignantly portrayed.
Lily’s resentment at how the tragedy fractured her family is heart-wrenching and relatable. Meanwhile, Sally’s tale is equally compelling—her resilience and strength shine through her heartbreaking circumstances, making her a standout character.
While I suspected some twists, the book’s well-crafted plot kept me hooked. It raises thought-provoking moral dilemmas and explores themes of loss, family bonds, and the enduring impact of unresolved trauma. A beautifully written and thoughtful family drama, The Stolen Child is as gripping as it is moving.
Thank you so much to the author, Carmel Harrington, as well as Alara and the team from Headline Books, for allowing me to take part in this book tour!
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