Maddy Stewart loses her child, eight year old Vinni, suddenly during a day at the beach. The book progresses in exploring every emotion a mother would go through in the desperate search for her baby. Ultimately this book is about the pain of this loss, Maloney thoughtfully weaves the experience through stories and interactions as Maddy tries to find reason while enduring unspeakable heartbreak. The book really does explore what this experience would be like: would you even want to live? Could you stand looking at happy families together? Could you find the strength to use your experience to help others?

The characters in this novel are well developed, although this is not a plot-driven suspense story. I would compare this book to a TV mini-series as it has lots of interesting characters, but if it was going to be made into a movie, a lot of the story would need to be cut out. Ultimately this novel is for someone interested in the psychology of loss, motherhood, resliance, and maybe a little bit of a thrill.

A Matter of Chance by Julie Maloney

Publication date: April 10, 2018

I read this as: Edelweiss ARC