First published 2001
Emma cannot speak when Lucy finds her wandering an empty shopping mall after hours. The child's entire body bears intricate fish-scale tattoos that offer no clues to her identity. Lucy, who once performed as a circus fat lady, decides to adopt the mysterious girl and name her Emma. But someone warns Lucy that Emma may still be in danger from whoever created those elaborate tattoos. Lucy begins searching for Emma's true origins, a quest that forces her to confront the painful memories she has spent years avoiding. As Lucy digs deeper into Emma's past, she discovers that both their identities were destroyed by cruel men who sought to control them. Their journey toward healing becomes a shared struggle against the darkness that shaped their lives. Together, the woman and her adopted daughter must navigate through nightmare and hope to reclaim who they truly are.
Genres: mystery, contemporary, thriller, adoption, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: found-family, mystery
Setting: Shopping Mall
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
256 pages · Paperback · St. Martin's Griffin
Content warnings: abuse, child-abuse, emotional-abuse, physical-abuse