by Lisa Jackson
First published 2012
Ava Garrison's world collapsed when her toddler Noah vanished two years ago. Everyone believes the boy drowned after falling from a dock near their Seattle home. Ava spent months in mental institutions, drowning in grief and accepting the tragic accident as truth. Now she has returned home, but strange visions plague her daily routine. She hears Noah crying from his empty nursery. She sees him walking by the water where he supposedly died. Her family insists these episodes signal a mental breakdown. Her psychologist recommends more treatment. Her estranged husband watches her with growing alarm. But Ava begins to question whether their concern stems from genuine care or fear of what she might uncover. As she digs deeper into her fragmented memories, a terrifying possibility emerges. Did Noah actually die that day, or did something far worse happen? Ava believed losing her son was the ultimate tragedy. She discovers that learning the truth may destroy what remains of her life.
Genres: suspense, mystery, contemporary, psychological-thriller
Vibes: emotional-atmospheric, intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: grief, mental-health, missing-person, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Seattle
Period: 2 Years Ago
416 pages · Hardcover · Kensington
Content warnings: mental-illness