Library Journal
Ward (Forgive Me; How To Be Lost; Sleep Toward Heaven) has written an intriguing literary mystery involving compelling, complex characters. After spending a summer night sleeping in their tree house, six-year-old Lauren Mahdian and her brother, Alex, discover their mother's body. The police arrest their Egyptian father for the murder, and he is sentenced to life in prison. Alex believes their father is innocent; Lauren accepts the verdict and suppresses her memories. Twenty-four years later, Lauren is a real estate agent and her brother a medical student. When Alex joins Doctors Without Borders, Lauren begins to experience panic attacks and must find the courage to face her past and explore her feelings about her father. VERDICT The elegant prose and compelling plot will attract fans of Kate Atkinson as well as Ward's readers. [Seven-city tour; library marketing; see Prepub Alert, 2/1/11.]—Cheryl L. Conway, Univ. of Arkansas Lib., Fayetteville