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Wednesday’s Child |
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 Wednesday’s Child byDeborah and Joel Shlian iUniverse 309 pages, 2000 ISBN 1583485619 Reviewed by PJ Nunn Read our review of Shou Read our author interview When Leigh Novak drove away from Los Angeles with her young son in the car, headed for a new life as a family doctor in a small northern California town, she thought she was leaving their troubles behind. Instead, she found herself driving into a mother’s worst nightmare. Arriving late, she finds the elderly doctor whose practice she would be taking over slumped unconscious on his desk. No sooner had she placed him in an ambulance that a distraught father arrives with a limp three year old boy in his arms. Half an hour later, the boy is dead and Leigh becomes labeled as the new doctor who killed little Brian. Moving on seems a tempting thought, but not an option since Leigh has invested everything in this new start. The only person in town willing to talk is Nora, who's in charge of the town’s popular day care center. Hoping that Nora would help her son Jeremy settle in, Leigh begins organizing and studying patient records searching for ways to build her new practice. By the time Leigh's name is cleared from young Brian’s death, she begins to suspect a much bigger problem. Local mothers seem intent thatNora is the best thing for their children, and Leigh admits children appear incredibly well behaved in her presence. So why does she have the feeling that something is terribly wrong? The Shlians have chosen a topic avoided by many and presented it with alarming clarity. Wednesday’s Child begins with characters and situations that most can relate to, bringing Leigh and her son Jeremy to life on the page with vulnerabilities and traits that are easily recognized. The ominous clouds looming on the horizon slip in gradually until the storm breaks. The tale is riveting, with a tightly woven plot that demands finishing in one setting. Rarely has a book so captured my attention. There are some weak points in the plot, but the overall effect is so commanding that they may only become visible in hindsight. Wednesday’s Child is truly an exceptional book. |
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