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Dr. Zoe Goldman, a resident in training at a psychiatric ward, has her hands full when she is given a new patient—Sofia Vallano, 36, hospitalized since she was fourteen, following the murder of her mother. Sofia is narcissistic, uninterested in therapy and possibly a sociopath. Zoe's supervisor is pushing her to assess and discharge Sofia, but Zoe has deep reservations about releasing her patient.
In the meantime, Zoe has her own inner demons. Recurring nightmares have started again - of the fire in which Zoe's natural mother perished. Zoe was only four, and her only memories are the ones that creep in at night - of the horrific fire and some other, unknown danger that is just beyond the reach of her memories. Her adoptive mother has dementia and is unable - or perhaps unwilling - to help Zoe as she searches for answers. Zoe's other problems include ADHD and an unreliable, distant boyfriend.
Bleak as the book sounds, it is interspersed with humor and wit. Zoe throws out zingers such as, "He is a small, slight man. I could crush him in a thumbsie war." While the only murder is one that happened more than twenty years ago, this psychological thriller is nevertheless packed with tension, as Zoe tries to unravel what happened to Sofia and what happened in her own life.
The author, Sandra Block, is a practicing neurologist, and brings a great deal of realism to her debut novel. The publisher has made the first five chapters available for free at online book retailers and other websites. But be warned, this is an addicting novel—you may very well end up buying the entire book.
§ Lourdes Venard is a newspaper editor in Long Island, N.Y.
Reviewed by Lourdes Venard, January 2015
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