Welcome to my review of The Shadow Child By Rachel Hancox. I was first drawn to the stunning cover and the blurb on the back. It sounded like an intriguing story about a family suddenly torn apart. I loved this book, a wonderfully engaging read from Rachel Hancox.
Releases this Thursday 14th April 2022.
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 …
Rachel Hancox read Medicine and Social and Political Science at Cambridge, qualified as a doctor three months after getting married, and has juggled her family, her career and a passion for writing ever since.
She worked in Paediatrics and Public Health for twenty years, writing short stories alongside NHS policy reports, and drafting novels during successive bouts of maternity leave.
Rachel loves singing, cooking, gardening and pottery, and has five children, three dogs and a cat. As someone once said, she thrives on chaos. She lives in Oxford with her husband and youngest children.
I felt that this was a slow-paced read, but I couldn’t put it down as it was intriguing. I thought I had to know what would happen next and what secrets caused Emma to abandon her family after they already had so much heartache. The book is told from numerous points of view between Cath, Jim, Emma, Lara and Nick.
I felt real tenderness for the characters, flawed but honest, each with their own secrets and lies intricately woven into their lives to make things more bearable. I felt connected to each character somehow; aside from Nick though I think his heart is in the right place and he loves Lara deeply, he needs to be reminded of it at times.
T^he book is split into three parts. The first third is mainly around Cath and Jim, the second is Emma, and the third brings everything neatly together to a beautiful ending.
The Shadow Child is one of those books you don’t want to say too much about because you don’t want to accidentally give anything away, and it’s best to read that way. So, the story moves along through various tragedies; the loss of a baby and a child are ones to be particularly aware of.
Rachel Hancox has cleverly told a well-written story covering loss, grief (in many forms), adultery and murder. The overwhelming theme that shines through is love in so many guises for your friends, your family, and those you barely know.
The perfect spring read.
| Title | The Shadow Child |
| Author | Rachel Hancox |
| Series | N/A |
| Format | eARC |
| Page Count | 493 Pages |
| Genre | Literary |
| Publisher | Penguin |
| Release Date | 14 April 2022 |
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