Megan Hart
Precious and Fragile Things
Harlequin Mira (US: 1st January 2011)
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It’s winter in Pennsylvania. There’s snow, and freaking lots of it. You could freeze to death out there – one character certainly tries. The frozen landscape definitely has the creep factor, and this little Australian reader is rather grateful she lives where snow doesn’t.
Gilly Soloman is a little psychologically screwed, but she’s the voice of mothers who can’t tell the truth: that parenting sucks. Of course she claims the good times override the bad, but sometimes they just don’t. And those bad times can break you mentally.
Todd Blauch’s back-story is devastating, and his and Gilly’s words and actions often seem to repeat Todd’s history. It hurts to read. (From the author’s website: Todd is fiction, but sadly, the story on which I based his past is not. So if you’ve read a story like this in the news, please send me – Tez – the URL.)
If the publisher markets this right, it could be a huge hit. An excellent choice for discussion groups, this psychological suspense rings true. It’s thought-provoking, heart-breaking, and should be at the top of your new year’s shopping list. It certainly deserves to be both a critical and commercial success.