First published 1999
Beth Cappadora takes her three children to her high school reunion at a Chicago hotel. While checking in, her three-year-old son Ben vanishes from the crowded lobby. The police search yields nothing. Ben has disappeared without a trace. The Cappadora family returns home to Wisconsin, forever changed. Beth spirals into depression while her husband Pat struggles to hold their marriage together. Their other children, seven-year-old Vincent and baby Kerry, grow up in the shadow of their missing brother. Nine years pass. Then a local boy arrives at their door wanting to mow their lawn. Beth stares at him in shock. The boy looks exactly like Ben would now. DNA tests confirm the impossible truth. Ben has been living just blocks away, adopted by the woman who took him. Now called Sam, he has no memory of his birth family. The Cappadoras face an agonizing question: how do you reclaim a son who doesn't remember you? Beth must navigate the complex emotions of recovery, guilt, and the challenge of rebuilding relationships torn apart by years of grief and loss.
Genres: american-fiction, contemporary, adoption, family-drama
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, second-chance
Setting: Chicago, Wisconsin
Period: 9 Years
Library Binding · Bt Bound
Content warnings: mental-illness