Mothers & Other Liars: A Novel by Amy Bourret (St. Martin’s Griffin; $13.99; 320 pages)
The street is empty, but she can feel it out there, the past, the truth, hurtling toward them, a boulder crashing down her mountainside, snapping trees, devastating everything in its path.
Ruby Leander is an orphan and a runaway nineteen-year-old traveling to find her life’s purpose when her journey takes a drastic turn… she comes upon a baby thrown away at a rest stop. Remembering the feeling of loss and abandonment in her own childhood, Ruby raises this baby girl as her own. Ruby creates a life for her daughter with a family of close friends and for nine years raises her daughter Lark in the only home she has ever known.
During this time, Ruby falls in love and now pregnant, is prepared to create a family with her boyfriend and police officer, Chaz, who knows nothing about Lark’s story or the true details of her own past. Then, by chance, Ruby learns the truth behind the story of Lark’s abandonment and is faced with the biggest decision of her life. She is challenged to determine what the right path is and which sacrifices are worth making to preserve the life of the child she has raised.
With that memory searing in her scalp and baby fingers gripping her hand, only one thought was possible: save this child, protect her.
Although the story line becomes somewhat predictable, Bourret interwines circumstances of love and loss among her characters that makes the outcome a joy to read. You may find yourself reevaluating your own code of ethics and redefining the true definition of family as you consider what you would be willing to sacrifice for the benefit of your own children.
Written in detailed poetic prose, Bourret describes the bond that exists between mother and child and the internal struggles one faces when trying to protect her child and provide her with the best possible life. This novel is a beautiful read and is Well Recommended.
This review was written by Kelly Monson. A review copy was provided by the publisher. “An unpredictable, gripping story of love and sacrifice.” Jacqueline Sheehan, New York Times bestselling author of Lost and Found and Now & Then.
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