Little Miracles (by Giselle Green)

(Amazon UK link)

I first came across Giselle Green about nine months ago, when I was sent her first novel, Pandora's Box, to review for The Bookbag. I found it engrossing and powerful, and also enjoyable. So I was delighted that Bookbag sent me the second novel by the same author recently.

'Little Miracles' is the story of a young couple devastated by the loss of their toddler Hadyn. It's not a spoiler to say that this is the overall plot of the book, since it says so on the front cover, and in more depth on the back. Hadyn appears for the first few chapters, as we get to know his parents, Julia and Charlie. I found the first part of the book quite tense reading, wondering when tragedy was going to strike.

The majority of the book is about Charlie and Julia learning to deal with their loss in their different ways. Charlie is a plastic surgeon who does a lot of charity work; Julia had given up her job to be a full-time mother. After her initial devastated grief, she launches an investigation to find out exactly what happened to her son, convinced that the local police were covering something up.

Along the way Julia learns a lot about herself. We delve into her childhood, as she talks about her past, and then finds a few surprises. The book is character-driven, narrated alternately by Julia and Charlie, and - not surprisingly - is quite a tense novel.

I thought it very well-written, a book that will probably stay in my mind for quite some time. My only annoyance is that the ending was left open in a way that didn't quite make sense to me. I would have liked a little more.*

Still, overall I thought 'Little Miracles' was excellent. Probably more for women than for men, but if this kind of plot appeals to you, I'd recommend it to anyone.

You can read my longer review of 'Little Miracles' on The Bookbag site. 

*I'm pleased to report that there is now a sequel to this, 'Finding You', which enlarges on the ending and continues the story.