By 
Wow! Fran Hawthorne, the Author of “Her Daughter” has written an extraordinary, emotional and intriguing novel about family relations and estrangement. The Genres of this well-written and intense novel are :Women’s Psychological Fiction, Women’s Divorce Fiction, Mothers and Daughters, Family Fiction, Suspense, Mystery and Fiction. Can you imagine the anxiety, stress, and tension of not being able to see or hear from your daughter, after a divorce situation? When Alice Wilson, an environmental activist, and her husband Dan first got married, they agreed on not having children. A few years later, Alice changes her mind and wants a baby, but Dan still is firm that he does not. When Alice did get pregnant, and has a little girl, Esme, Dan would constantly criticize and try to gas-light Alice’s role as a mother. Alice and Dan divorce, and have a custody agreement. As time goes on, Dan gets more time with Esme, until he has her most of the time. Dan remarries and has two more children. He appears to be manipulative and controls the timing of contact and Esme’s activities. In what appears to be a toxic situation, Dan has been also controlling the information to Esme about her mother.
After several years of estrangement between Alice and Esme, Alice gets an email from her ex-husband, Dan, that Esme had been arrested. During the separation, Alice did hire a detective to find out how Esme was doing. Alice starts to investigate with the help her friends, what is actually going on with her daughter. When an opportunity is created for Alice to see Esme for one hour, Alice is anxious and conflicted what she should say or do. I appreciate how the author discusses the importance of communication, mental health, family, friends, love and hope. I highly recommend this thought-provoking and captivating novel.
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