The Lost Daughter - Diane Chamberlain

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Timothy Gleason, the man who tried to blackmail Genevieve's husband, the Governor of North Carolina back in 1977, is charged with the murder and is sentenced to death and for the family and the public, that is the end of the case.


However, CeeCee Wilkes has to make a terrifying decision. She knows what happened to Genevieve and she knows that Timothy didn't kill Genevieve because she was there on the day she died. ...
...happened to the child, as she made the decision on that fateful day to bring Genevieves child up as her own.


CeeCee now has to make a choice to either keep quiet and save her family from her awful secret, or tell the truth and free an innocent man from the death penalty.



'''My Thoughts'''
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I was almost put off this book as it has been compared to Jodi Picoults ... more

In 1977, heavily pregnant Genevieve Russell disappears. Twenty years later, her body is discovered in woodland next to a bloodied knife. However, her unborn child's body is nowhere to be seen.

Timothy Gleason, the man who tried to blackmail Genevieve's husband, the Governor of North Carolina back in 1977, is charged with the murder and is sentenced to death and for the family and the public, that is the end of the case.

However, CeeCee Wilkes has to make a terrifying decision. She knows what happened to Genevieve and she knows that Timothy didn't kill Genevieve because she was there on the day she died.

She also knows what happened to the child, as she made the decision on that fateful day to bring Genevieves child up as her own.

CeeCee now has to make a choice to either keep quiet and save her family from her awful secret, or tell the truth and free an innocent man from the death penalty.

My Thoughts

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I was almost put off this book as it has been compared to Jodi Picoults books. I really am not a fan of Picoults style of writing at all and to read another author who has been compared to her would not make for good reading in my opinion! However, I am so glad that I picked this book up!

I can see why there has been a comparison between the two authors. Like Picoult, "The Lost Daughter" (and I've also seen it on the net called "The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes") has a moral thread to it similar to those in Picoults books.
Unlike Picoult, thankfully, Chamberlain's style of writing is much more enjoyable. Her writing is interesting and thought provoking whereas Picoult tends to come across as patronising in my opinion. Her ideas are put across subtly and left me wondering what I would do in CeeCee's situation. I loved how some authors have the knack of getting to the crux of human relationships and how she makes you question what side of the fence you should sit on when it comes to moral dilemmas - this book was a perfect example of that, and Chamberlain achieved this effortlessly.

The story of how this all came to be is told wonderfully. Most chapters, especially when CeeCee is about to make a big decision, begins with a letter from CeeCee's late mother, whom she lost to breast cancer when she was twelve. CeeCee's mother decided to write her daughter letters to help her cope with things through her life in the future and as I read each chapter, the letters have some kind of bearing on CeeCee's future decisions, especially when it comes to her involvement in Genevieve's life.

Not only do these letters shape CeeCee's decisions, they also made me empathise with the young CeeCee. The writing is such that it is easy to see why CeeCee would make the wrong choices when she was just sixteen but the content of the letters just endeared her character to me even more.
As the book progressed, the reader gets to "grow up" with CeeCee and the decisions she's made in her life and the Chamberlain has done a sterling job of fleshing out her main character. CeeCee as a teenager and CeeCee (or her new Identity Eve) as an adult grow and split to become almost two different characters but as a reader, the changes are subtle and Chamberlain's characterisation of this woman is strong. I really felt for CeeCee and although some of her decisions were wrong, I could understand her motives and understand that regret wasn't really an option, as she wouldn't have the things she has as an adult.

As for the other characters, they do not quite live up to the fully dimensional CeeCee. Cory, CeeCee's daughter who she kidnapped from Genevieve all those years ago, was a bit of a disappointment. I loved the bond that developed between mother and daughter, and then later between step father and daughter whilst Cory was growing up but became frustrated with her character as an adult.
Cory is shown as a very frightened girl, then teenager then adult due to the fact that CeeCee (or Eve) has protected her and sheltered her from life. As a result, Cory becomes the exact opposite of her mother and as an adult, is even frightened of driving a short trip down the road. Her constant worry and dependency annoyed me greatly but I also found that I became to dislike Cory when she finally distanced herself from her mother. At the beginning of the book, we have a chapter showing Cory in her adult life with her fiancé and it's alluded to that the relationship with her mother is strained. It is easy to assume this is because of something that CeeCee has done, but in reading the book, it is clear that Cory is a woman who is easily influenced by her fiancé. Cutting off CeeCee in her life left me feeling a bit outraged but again that is a mark of a good book!

Despite this, Chamberlain manages to change what I thought about Cory on its head towards the end and my opinions of her changed somewhat. Chamberlain has an uncanny ability to show you how some decisions are difficult without pointing out the obvious and I found that I had warmed to Cory and her difficult life.

The books end may be slightly predictable but I don't think it would have worked any other way. As the reader, I felt on CeeCee's side through all of her life in the book and wanted her to survive despite her bad judgements so I felt like CeeCee should be acknowledged for the good person she is - and any other ending would have made me feel a bit angry!

Despite these little niggles, this was a truly wonderful book about love families and friendships. I love books that questions your own ideas about what is right and wrong and also shows the repercussions of what one silly act or thought can have on the rest of your life. This is one such book, a real page-turner, with a courageous and believable main character and lots of emotional discoveries.

 

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