Little Mercies (English Edition)
As a social worker, Ellen Moore is regrettably familiar with the types of abuse adults can inflict on children. She’s seen burns, bruises, and deeper, psychological scars. Ellen’s casework has always bled into her home life as she plans routes to home visits while cooking breakfast or wakes up from a nightmare about one of her most violent cases. After Ellen accidentally leaves her one-year-old daughter in the family’s minivan during the hottest day of the year, Ellen finds herself on the other side of the law. Slapped with the liabilities that accompany such a terrible accident, Ellen is forced to confront the very system she knows so well. An unlikely ally enters her life, and Ellen’s mission to rebuild her relationships with her family, friends, and colleagues might be within her grasp. A story of motherhood, guilt, and redemption, Little Mercies examines our deepest fears and highest hopes. Gudenkauf’s prose is searingly raw, as Ellen’s confusion, guilt, and pain are laid bare. Thrilling and emotionally tender, this novel, with its driving pace, will appeal to fans of Lisa Scottoline and Jodi Picoult. --Stephanie Turza