What Was Mine by Helen Klein Ross
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Wow! Just wow! What Was Mine was more addictive than Pringles with extra MSG! I couldn’t put it down and devoured it over the course of just a few sittings. Everything about it is beautiful: the story, the structure, the characters, the gorgeous, lyrical prose.
What Was Mine is a compelling, character-driven novel that intricately explores motherhood. Lucy kidnaps Mia when she’s just four months old, leaving her birth mother, Marilyn, absolutely bereft and filled with guilt and anger. The unique thing about the novel is that you don’t feel any sort of hatred for Lucy. She’s a good mother to Mia for 21 years, and Mia grows up happy and well taken care of. What you really feel is sad and empathetic for everybody involved, which is such an amazing feat for an author.
Obviously kidnapping is a big theme, but it’s also about the power of a mother’s love, loss and forgiveness. With changing viewpoints so you see how everybody is affected, What Was Mine was engrossing and thought provoking with numerous ethical issues to discuss. This is definitely one for a book club to read.
