Bringing Maggie Home

Seventy years ago, Hazel was sent blackberry picking with her little sister Maggie.  Hazel chased away a snake and, when she returned, Maggie was missing, leaving behind her doll, a ribbon, and a shoe.  Maggie's disappearance has never been solved but it is a burden Hazel has carried with her for her entire life and has remained her secret from her family.   Not understanding why her mother has always been so overprotective has caused tension between Hazel and her daughter, Diane, for their entire lives. 

When Diane's daughter, Meghan, is involved in a car accident that forces her to take some recovery time, the place she wants to go is her grandmother Hazel's.  Arriving, Meghan is surprised to find her mother there as well.  Meghan has brought along empty scrapbooks, photos and other mementos to work on with her grandmother but she is also going to need to be the mediator between the two women most precious to her. Once Hazel reveals the secret she has held for years, Meghan is set on using her detective skills to "bring Maggie home."

I loved how the story switches from the perspective of the three main characters.  I could totally get how and why they felt the way they did and why they reacted to life as they did.  While not excusable to carry a grudge, Diane felt her mother ruined her childhood with her overbearing ways and seems determined to be almost the opposite of her mother.

When I first ordered the book, I did so thinking it may have been a sequel to another story I read several years back about two friends losing one of their little sisters while playing.  That feeling didn't leave me as Hazel's story was revealed because of the similarities but this definitely isn't the sequel.  I couldn't even locate the book where the story sounded familiar.

I really enjoyed Bringing Maggie Home.  I found the relationships between Hazel, Diane, and Meghan very interesting to follow and I enjoyed watching how those relationships changed and were restored, particularly between Hazel and her daughter as truth was revealed.  It was a good reminder to me to ask why someone may act/react the way they do.  Is there an underlying experience that molded them?  The story has so many layer, I don't believe this is one you will have "all figured out" and you may be sorry to see it come to a close.  It was a pleasurable way to spend my day.

I did receive this book free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.  I was in no way obligated to publish a positive review.  I do highly recommend this title for anyone who enjoys Christian realistic fiction.