by Maggie Gee
First published 1995
Alma begins what seems like any other day until she makes a devastating discovery. Her teenage daughter Zoe has disappeared from their home without warning. The only trace left behind is a brief note on the landing that offers no explanation for her sudden departure. Alma faces an agonizing mystery as she tries to understand what drove Zoe to run away. She searches her memory for clues, wondering what she might have done wrong as a mother. The questions multiply faster than answers. What triggered Zoe's decision to leave? What events led to this moment of abandonment? Alma must confront the possibility that she failed her daughter in ways she never realized. The empty house becomes a mirror reflecting back all her uncertainties about their relationship. Gee explores the raw panic of a parent whose child has chosen to sever contact without explanation. This is a story about the fragile bonds between mothers and daughters, and the devastating silence that can open between them when communication breaks down.
Genres: literary-fiction, mystery, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: missing-person, unreliable-narrator
320 pages · Paperback · HarperCollins Publishers Canada, Limited
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, mental-illness