Rachel Hancox – The Shadow Child @RandomTTours @centurybooksuk #RachelHancox #RandomThingsTours #TheShadowChild #SharonBTB

I’m so thrilled to be bringing my review for The Shadow Child as part of the blog tour by Random Things Tours. Thanks to Anne Cater and Century Publishing for my beautiful copy of this book to bring my own unbiased thoughts.

Eighteen-year-old Emma has loving parents and a promising future ahead of her.

So why, one morning, does she leave home without a trace?

Her parents, Cath and Jim, are devastated. They have no idea why Emma left, where she is – or even whether she is still alive.

A year later, Cath and Jim are still tormented by the unanswered questions Emma left behind, and clinging desperately to the hope of finding her.

Meanwhile, tantalisingly close to home, Emma is also struggling with her new existence – and with the trauma that shattered her life.

For all of them, reconciliation seems an impossible dream. Does the way forward lie in facing up to the secrets of the past – secrets that have been hidden for years?

Secrets that have the power to heal them, or to destroy their family forever …

A new author for me to become obsessed with! My favourite part of book blogging finding more books I love. The Shadow Child is a story of family, love, loss, trauma and the hope we all hold onto. Cath and Jim have struggled after their eighteen year old daughter, Emma, left home and never returned a year ago. They can’t come to terms with losing her, not knowing if she is even alive.

Cath attempts to deal with the hole in her life by mothering their tenants Lara and Nick. Unknown to her they are struggling themselves, each in their own hell, not even able to tell one another. At the same time Emma is trying to get used to her lifewhile she struggles to deal with a traumatic event that blew her world apart.

The story is told from the points of view of Cath, Jim, Emma,Lara and Nick. The story is told in three parts, Cath and Jim’s story is told first, then we read Emma’s story and in the final third, Rachel Hancox weaves the various stories together in such a beautiful way.

It’s a very well written story that engaged me immediately. The way it’s told really let’s you get to know the characters. They aren’t perfect and you see they are human, each with flaws and each uniquely themselves. I was absorbed in their stories and was soon in my own book world with these characters.

Rachel Hancox brings subjects that aren’t always easy ones, but she deals with them very well. She puts relationships under a microscope and how they alter after any type of trauma. She highlights how people deal with trauma and how they change.

I did find it a moving and emotional book that tugged at my heart as I read. A touching and engaging read for me. I highly recommended read from me.