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A rich, multi-generational saga, set in Singapore and New Zealand. The mysterious disappearance of a young child sets in motion a series of events that will haunt future generations of the family. Singapore in the 1970s. A handsome army officer falls in love with the young daughter of his captain. Although she is determined to become a ballerina, Fleur falls deeply for David and abandons her aspirations to become an army wife and mother. After their first blissfully happy years together, tragedy strikes and Fleur is left widowed with her young twin daughters, Nikki and Saffie. Grief-stricken, she prepares to take her daughters back to England - and then one of them mysteriously vanishes, without a trace. New Zealand, present day. Nikki Montrose, pregnant, is still haunted by the disappearance of her twin sister. Unable to reconcile with her mother, the ghosts of the past haunt her dreams. Fleur's impending visit forces her to confront her fears. Then when her mother goes missing en route, Nikki must journey to Singapore and attempt a reconciliation. But what they discover back in Port Dickson will send shockwaves through the entire family. Sara MacDonald has written another rich, absorbing family saga which will appeal to all fans of Rosamunde Pilcher and Anita Shreve.
The sudden, unexplained disappearance of a young child in 1970s Singapore fractures a family, leaving a legacy of grief that resurfaces decades later in New Zealand. Fleur, a former aspiring ballerina turned army wife, faces the devastating loss of her husband and the subsequent vanishing of one of her twin daughters. Years later, her surviving daughter Nikki must confront these buried traumas when a planned reunion forces her to return to the site of the original tragedy. The narrative oscillates between the past in Singapore and the present in New Zealand, utilizing a dual-timeline structure to reveal how long-held secrets impact the lives of the surviving family members.
This novel functions as a classic family saga that prioritizes emotional resonance and the slow revelation of long-buried secrets. The narrative structure suggests a focus on the psychological weight of the past, particularly how the trauma of a missing child shapes the identities of the survivors. Readers who appreciate character-focused dramas set against sweeping geographical backdrops will find the dual-timeline approach effective for building tension. The story relies on the interplay between memory and reality, creating a somber atmosphere that defines the family's struggle for closure.
Page Count:
344
Publication Date:
2005-01-01
Publisher:
HarperCollins
ISBN-10:
0007194293
ISBN-13:
9780007194292
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