where i lost her

T. Greenwood's novel, where i lost her,  is one that I have been waiting to read for a long time.  It came out three years ago and I never saw it in paperback, so I finally ordered it through ebay.  It was a quick read and, while I didn't think that it was the best of her novels that I have read, I found myself thinking about it for days after I finished it.



The novel tells two stories about Tess Waters, a married woman, who several years earlier had attempted to adopt an infant from Guatemala.  The story of that failed attempt is told in the italic chapters of where i lost her.  In the present time, Tess and her husband Jake had gone to visit longtime friends, Effie and Devin and their two daughters, at their cabin in Vermont.  Late one evening, Tess left the cabin to drive to the local liquor store and on the dark lonely road, came upon a young girl standing in the middle of the road.  Tess thought that the girl was three or four years old.  When Tess got out of the car to check on the girl, the girl ran off into the woods.  Tess tried to follow her, but lost her.  When Tess returned to the cabin, police were called and a search was begun for the young girl.

After a few days, the girl had not been located, nor was there any report of a missing young girl.  Her husband and their friends wondered if Tess was having a breakdown similar to what happened to her when the adoption had failed several years before.  Her tenuous marriage with Jake had been falling apart over the last few months also.

Tess persevered and continued to search for the young girl.  Her friend Effie continued to support her in any way she could as Tess began to uncover bits and pieces of illegal activities going on in the area.

I thought that the story kind of came together too easily in the end, but it still was a good read.  I will continue to seek out more of the author's works.