The following is a book review by The Ameri Brit Mom. This post expresses the genuine opinion and experiences of The Ameri Brit Mom and is in no way endorsed by authors, publishers, and outside influences.
Title: The Year of Fog
Author: Michelle Richmond
Publisher: A Bantam Discovery
Copyright Date: 2007
A few weeks ago my sister who is majoring in English and just as much of a bookworm as I am suggested that we attend the Half-Price Bookstore Warehouse Clearance sale in Columbus. The Ohio Expo Center was piled with books from every genre with no book costing above $2. I ended up walking out with 20 books totaling in just under $40. This really was an amazing experience and I look forward to attending it again in the future. That being said today’s book review is about a book I scored during this sale. I found quite a few copies of The Year of Fog, and although I had never heard of it or its author prior to the sale I was intrigued and threw it in my basket.
The story begins with a fateful morning on the coast of San Francisco. Abby Mason is walking along the shore with her soon-to-be stepdaughter, Emma, when she diverts her attention to a dead baby seal for only a minute. Emma’s father was out of town on business and this was Abby’s first time being the sole carer for Emma. This was to be her trial run for motherhood. During the leisurely walk Abby looks away from Emma and in the short time that she was focused elsewhere Emma goes missing. By the time she notices that Emma has disappeared into the fog surrounding them the girl is long gone. Abby spends the next year of her life trying to recover clues and memories from that morning to help locate Emma.
From the plot line it is easy to see that a major conflict in this missing girl’s case is Abby having to prove her innocence. She spends many months under the suspicion of the media. During this time Abby conducts her own research and consults several sources to help her in her quest to find the truth. Each passing hour and day reduces the likelihood of finding the missing child, but Abby continues to have faith despite the odds.
As a mother of a young child this story was frightening at times as it required me to acknowledge the real dangers of this world. To be honest I finished this book pretty quickly because I could not handle not knowing what had happened to Emma. It was a very fast paced novel which mirrored closely the constant search and activities Abby was involved in looking for her beloved stepdaughter. This was a very thrilling read and I would recommend it to those who prefer the mystery and thriller genres.
The Ameri Brit Mom 