Book Review: The Child by Fiona Barton

Book: The Child

Author: Fiona Barton

Pages: 368

Read on: Kindle

Read in: 3 hours

Publisher: Random House / TransWorld Digital

Plot Summary: As an old house is demolished in a gentrifying section of London, a workman discovers a tiny skeleton, buried for years. For journalist Kate Waters, it’s a story that deserves attention. She cobbles together a piece for her newspaper, but at a loss for answers, she can only pose a question: Who is the Building Site Baby?

As Kate investigates, she unearths connections to a crime that rocked the city decades earlier: A newborn baby was stolen from the maternity ward in a local hospital and was never found. Her heartbroken parents were left devastated by the loss.

But there is more to the story, and Kate is drawn—house by house—into the pasts of the people who once lived in this neighborhood that has given up its greatest mystery. And she soon finds herself the keeper of unexpected secrets that erupt in the lives of three women—and torn between what she can and cannot tell.

Things I Liked:

• I had read and really enjoyed The Widow by Fiona Barton (have no idea why I didn't end up reviewing it on the blog!) and was so excited to see another book by her! The premise of the child is so interesting, isn't it?! An almost 30-year old skeleton of a baby is found when some old middle-lower-middle class houses are demolished. This discovery sets forth a chain of events that turns multiple people's lives upside down. What is not to love about that, eh? The best part, though, is that the book totally delivers on the promise of the premise!

• The characters are so well developed. You get to know our three central characters really well.  Emma, a stay-at-home book editor, who seems to be struggling with depression and just sheer panic when the news about the baby's skeleton comes out. She is clearly hiding some secrets from her past, but the nature of those secrets are unclear and her reactions to new news on the topic keeps the reader guessing. Angela, a woman whose newborn baby was stolen from the hospital nearly 40 years ago- an event, which made it impossible for Angela to move on with her life and has cast a shadow on her whole family. Kate, a journalist, who is determined to find who this little baby is and did he/she end up in a hole in the ground. Kate starts a systematic investigation into the inhabitants of those homes in the 70s and 80s and the truth that she discovers is even more stunning than anyone's even imagined! 

• The book is a crisp, page-turner and there is no dawdling or irrelevant details in this book, which is always a huge plus in my mind when it comes to crime thrillers. 

• There is a very nice little twist in the book, which the author does a very good job of keeping as a surprise up until the ~85% mark of the book. Readers may guess what that twist is, but it does not ruin the enjoyment of the book because this book is about a journey. 

• The book moves from England in the 70s, to the 80s to present day and the author has done a good job of depicting each era, especially, in terms of parenting and how different things were then and now. 

Things I Didn't Like: Nothing much at all. 

Rating: 4.5/5 
Read this book!