Don’t Look For Me by Wendy Walker is a home
run. It's a psychological drama about motherhood and the bond
between parents and children, including grief, loss, healing,
family, and courage.
"This is the first book I wrote that had a life moment
of mine. A few years ago, when I had anxiety and was stressed,
I took this four -hour drive to see my son play soccer. I
drove by myself to watch the game. The game was rough, and
the kids were cruel, pointing out our team player's personal
attributes. As a mom, I was afraid my son was suffering emotionally.
I felt powerless. As I was driving back home through this
desolate area, my thoughts were spinning, and I began thinking
about the meaning of life. I stopped at this gas station just
as Molly had and saw these rolling hills going on forever."
The plot opens with a family of four: wife and mother, Molly
Clarke, husband John, daughter Nichole, and son Evan. But
their world changed when the family of five became a family
of four. After her youngest daughter ran out into the road,
Molly accidentally hit her as she was driving home. After
the incident, Molly can feel her older daughter's hatred,
her son's indifference, and her husband's lack of love, while
she is riddled with guilt. The death is on her conscience
and has pushed the rest of her family away. Though the investigation
confirms she did everything right and the accident was truly
that, how can she ever forgive herself?
"I wrote Molly with severe emotional distress. The killing
of her child made her feel responsible; her husband seems
to be having an affair, her oldest daughter had a major fight
with her, and her son acted like a typical teenager. She has
a tremendous amount of guilt, which caused her to walk away
during a storm. I think Molly's pain and anxiety is resonating
deeply with people. She wanted to be the protective mom but
feels she has failed. Overall, Molly is a good solid person,
responsible, a bit defiant, and loving."
Five years later, the family still hasn't recovered. John
subconsciously blames her for the accident and has fallen
out of love with her. Her middle child and only son, Evan,
has decided to escape to a boarding school to play football.
Nicole, her eldest, was expelled from high school and has
fallen into a never-ending merry go round of alcohol and strange
men.
Tragedy hits the family a second time, five years later, after
Molly disappears. She was driving home from watching her son's
football game and had an emotional crisis. She decided to
walk away, having come to the conclusion that she was a bad
parent. She left her car, cell phone, and a note saying not
to look for her. Unfortunately, Molly got into a car with
a father and child because a huge storm had begun.
"Nicole was babysitting her sister when she ran into
the street. She told her mom something she now regrets. Nicole
was filled with conflict about her mom. She knows Molly is
a good mom, but a part of her hates her mom for accidentally
killing her sister. I saw her and Molly as the bow and stern
of a sinking ship. This is not the story of two downtrodden
women. They both had guilt and grief, but readers also see
the evolution of both women as they get their fight on and
are willing to take all kinds of risks. Nicole is a warrior,
loyal, and determined."
Two weeks later, 21-year-old Nicole, Molly's older daughter,
receives a tip from a woman who claims she saw Molly the day
she disappeared getting into a stranger's pickup truck. Despite
the strained relationship between Nicole and Molly since her
sister's death, Nicole decides to investigate. She is trying
to overcome the guilt she feels for saying horrible angry
words to her mom. Nicole's need to learn more became the drive
to find her mother. She is also trying to decipher who was
trustworthy and who was lying. Readers take the journey with
Molly. Will she escape her captors and Nicole, will she find
her mom?
This page-turning suspense novel is full of surprises. The
characters are intense and intriguing. If you have not read
Wendy Walker before, this is a good book, to begin with. Readers
will forget their own troubles as they take a journey with
Molly and Nicole. Definitely, an escape to any troubles people
may have.
|
