Dr. Zoe Goldman, a psychiatric resident in a Buffalo hospital, has some problems. She has ADHD, controlled with medication; her adoptive mom is in a nursing home, suffering from dementia; her boyfriend, Jean Luc - a chemist in Washington, D.C. - seems to be distancing himself from her; and she has recurring nightmares about the night her birth mother died in a fire. In the disturbing dream Zoe is a little girl hiding from someone in a burning house.
Zoe, who was four years old when she lost her birth mother, remembers almost nothing about her. Zoe's adoptive parents said her mother was named Beth Summers, and gave Zoe a photo and a few records, but nothing else.
Zoe is desperate to know more and - thinking her bad dreams might provide clues - discusses them with her psychiatrist Sam.
Zoe even undergoes hypnosis in her search for clues. Zoe also asks her adoptive mom about Beth Summers, but her mom gets agitated and says she can't remember.
Meanwhile, Zoe is treating psychiatric patients in the hospital where she works.
One of them is Sofia Vallano, a striking black-haired, blue-eyed, thirty-something woman who's constantly reading magazines, filing her nails, or doing charcoal sketches.
Sofia's been in mental hospitals for 20 years, ever since she stabbed her mother to death as a teen. Part of Zoe's job is to assess Sofia's mental state, since the hospital is considering releasing her.
As the story unfolds, Zoe works hard to uncover clues about her past. She also continues to assess Sofia, which involves meeting Sofia's estranged brother Jack Vallano, who was stabbed in the eye by his sister. Jack says Sofia is too crazy to be released.
Eventually Zoe learns the truth about everything in a very dramatic surprise twist. The explanation of what happened, though - and the aftermath - isn't completely believable and I was a tad disappointed.
SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT
Part of the explanation involves separating young orphaned siblings
(would this really happen?) and the siblings not remembering each other
at all.
END SPOILER ALERT END SPOILER ALERT
There are plenty of lighter moments in the book, especially when Zoe interacts with her fellow psychiatric residents, Jason and Dr. A - a foreigner struggling to master American idioms. There's even time for recreation, and Zoe drinks a lot of coffee in her brother, Scotty's, cafe; visits her mom in the nursing home; has some drama with Jean-Luc (though some of this doesn't ring true); has a few dates with an appealing E.R. doctor; goes jogging; etc.
Though the book has some problems, the story is entertaining and a good break from more grisly fare in the mystery/thriller genre. I'd recommend the book to mystery fans.
Rating: 3 stars
No comments:
Post a Comment