Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Look Again by Lisa Scottoline *Review*


When reporter Ellen Gleeson gets a "Have You Seen This Child?" flyer in the mail, she almost throws it away. But something about it makes her look again, and her heart stops. The child in the photo looks exactly like her adopted son, Will. Could the child in the photo really be her son? Everything inside her tells her to deny the similarity between her son and the boy in the photo, because she knows her adoption was lawful. But she's a journalist and won't be able to stop thinking about the photo until she figures out the truth. And she can't shake the question: If Will rightfully belongs to someone else, should she keep him or give him up?

I have read many Lisa Scottoline books and thought they were great. She always writes an excellent thriller. Very suspenseful. A page turner. I wasn't as impressed with this one.

The storyline was excellent. Being a mother, the thought of having to give up my child for any reason would tear my heart out. And that is where this novel fell short. The emotion was not there. After her child is taken from her (I'm not giving anything away by saying that- you know it's going to happen), Ellen doesn't fall apart like I would. Like any mother would. Oh, she cries- a little. She worries about how he'll adjust- for a minute. Then she stops to do a "redecorating" project and laughs while sh'e doing it. Not laughing through her tears with hysteria like I would be doing, but with delight. The emotions just didn't seem true to me. Not from Ellen. Not from her father. Not from anybody. And that's where I emotionally disconnected from the story. This book could have been so much better then it was had there been more depth of feeling in it. I'm not suggesting you not read this book, just to put some of your own heart in it when you do.