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Content snapshot
Flag an inaccuracy →What's in this book, at a glance — five things readers want to know before they start.
Violence
Barely any
The kidnapping is the central traumatic event; not graphically violent
Language
Barely any
Mild language appropriate for literary adult fiction
Sexual Content
None
No sexual content
Substance Use
None
Brief social references
Emotional Intensity
A lot
Deeply heavy psychological themes around grief, family dissolution, and what it means to find a child who has lived a whole other life
What this book is about
The first book ever selected for Oprah's Book Club is a deeply moving story of a stolen child and a family that never fully heals. Violence is the kidnapping. The psychological impact of a stolen child on every family member is the core of the novel.
Notes for sensitive readers
Reader-flagged moments and themes that may affect your experience.
Child abduction
Family trauma
Grief and loss
Psychological devastation
Reader Verification
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