Finished My Page-Turner: The Year of Fog

My loyal Roxiticus Desperate Housewives readers know that, now that my daughers are old enough to read on their own and leave me alone on the beach or the deck or the couch with my latest page-turner, I've been accustomed to churning through a book every few days, a week max. However, it has taken me almost a month to finish "The Year of Fog" by Michelle Richmond. While it came "highly recommended [for fans of] authors like Jodi Picoult," "The Year of Fog" turned out not to be a shameful page-turner after all.

When I finished the book, I realized that I can't do much of a review here without being a spoiler, but I'll give you the blurb from the back cover and let you decide if you want to know more:
Here is the truth, this is what I know: I was walking on the beach with Emma. It was cold and very foggy. She let go of my hand. I stopped to photograph a baby seal, then glanced up toward the Great Highway. When I looked back, Emma was gone.

From this moment unfolds the spellbinding story of Abby Mason -- photographer, fiancee, soon-to-be-stepmother -- and the consquences of her greatest error. A riveting drama of how life can change in an instant, of a family torn apart by the search for the truth behind a child's disappearance, and of one woman's unwavering faith in the power of love.




I guess I'm like one of those rubberneckers at a train wreck. Whether it is Russell Banks telling the story of a schoolbus accident in "The Sweet Hereafter" or Michelle Richmond's "The Year of Fog," I have to keep turning the pages. About halfway through, I became impatient with the author's insights and wondered if they would ever find the missing Emma. I won't tell you whether they did or didn't find her, but now that I've finished the book, I'll tell you that I highly recommend "The Year of Fog." Maybe I'll post my "spoiler" thoughts over on my Roxiticus Book Blog and let you comment once you've read it, too.