I read this book when my son was a few weeks old. One of the main themes of the book is that one’s children grow and change so quickly, and that they “belong” to you for such a short time before they become independent. In the midst of the haze of caring for a newborn, this was a good reminder for me to hold my son a little closer and to “enjoy this time,” as many well-meaning people have told me to do.

Two women’s stories are intertwined in this book. Cerise and Anna both became pregnant at a very young age. Anna decided to get an abortion and struggled with guilt and loss, while Cerise kept her daughter and struggled through as a single mom. The two women meet years later and are able to help each other heal. I loved reading both women’s stories, and appreciated especially the honest look at the pain that abortion causes. I don’t think that Hegland is writing from a Christian perspective, but she did seem to discuss the subject quite openly. My one complaint (and I had this complaint also with regards to Hegland’s other book Into the Forest) is that there are long paragraphs of spiritual inner-reflection that seem contrived to make the book “deeper” and “thought-provoking.” All they do for me is to make the plot drag.

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