Sheer Abandon
by
Penny Vincenzi
Adult Fiction
Three 18 year old English girls are having a gap year. One of them gets pregnant, gives birth while flying home from Thailand, and abandons the baby at the airport. Sixteen years pass. A lovely young girl wonders about her mother. We, as the reading audience, are left in suspense as to the identify of the mother. The book follows the lives of the three successful, glamorous, rich 34 year old women and the 16 year old girl.
The author does a great job keeping the reader guessing until revealing the identity of the mother 2/3 of the way through the book. Even then, there is a major twist toward the end and we don't know how all the threads are going to tie together in the end. The suspense and glitter reminds me of V. C. Andrews, but with none of the creepiness of and Andrews book. I understand why this author is so popular in the U. K. and would recommend her to our U. S. audience.
I don't know why a book that is more than 600 pages is listed as summer reading. This would be too bulky to take to the beach, but it would be good reading for back at the house in the air conditioning.
