Review: A SOCIAL WORKER'S HEART-WRENCHING TASK
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 13, 2013
Alex Lake's job as a social worker for the council puts her in the midst of disturbing and heart-wrenching situations.  She must remove children from abusive/neglectful homes and find appropriate caregivers.  But sometimes it is not that simple.  When the evidence is not there, but the social worker knows something is dreadfully wrong, what can she do?In Alex's background, her own horrific issues reveal themselves throughoutNo Child of Mine, and as she struggles with those and with her increasing empathy and compassion for a three-year-old child named Ottilie, with whom she feels a special connection, it is very clear that this is not going to be a simple case to solve.  But Alex persists. And just when she is moving toward that conclusion, something happens and Alex is reunited with the birth mother she hasn't seen since age three.On the brink of finally connecting the dots and collecting the evidence to rescue Ottilie, one horrific night full of tragedy takes Alex on a completely unexpected course of action.The setting of this story is lovely, in one of the small villages in England.  Living in a rectory that had belonged to her adoptive parents, Alex once had everything she thought she wanted.  And now everything is about to change.I could not put this book down.  As lengthy as it was, I was able to read quickly, primarily because it was so riveting.  And also because I could totally relate to the story.  Even though my years of social work were in the States, the similarities are greater than the differences.  Charged with protecting children is one of the most important and most thankless jobs....and when something goes wrong, everyone is ready to point fingers.  This read earned five stars.