Romy Hausmann
Thirteen years ago, 23-year-old Lena Beck went missing on the way home from a party. Her father, Matthias, spent the next decade hounding the police and the press, trying to get somebody, anybody, to find her – even if it means that all they find is remains.
Two weeks ago, a woman and a child were found following a car accident. The woman’s name is Lena. Could it be that Lena had been held captive all these years? Alive for all this time when Matthias had all but given up?
Dear Child is a curious thriller along the lines of Emma Donoghue’s Room with elements of Lionel Shriver’s We Need To Talk About Kevin, and the mix works really well. Given that this is Hausmann’s debut novel, the amount of detail and fleshed-out characters are a pleasant surprise. It is a little slow in places, but the narrative pulls you in and keeps you guessing. Probably not one for the faint-hearted, though, given the aspects of rape and abuse woven throughout it.
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
