Her One Regret
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4.3 • 6 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
From the author of the book club favorite The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano comes a riveting feminist thriller that tackles an unspeakable taboo: regretting motherhood.
When successful Rhode Island real estate agent Lucy Mendoza vanishes, leaving her baby behind in a grocery store parking lot, the news quickly makes national headlines. Lucy’s best friend, Michelle, is devastated, and terrified that Lucy’s life is at stake. But she knows something that could complicate the police investigation. Lucy had confessed something unspeakable: She regretted becoming a mother, so much that she’d fantasized about faking her own kidnapping. If the police and media were to find out, Lucy would become a monster in public opinion. Michelle is sure Lucy would never abandon her daughter. But could she be wrong? Could Lucy have been so desperate she chose to escape her life?
Donna Freitas has drawn from groundbreaking research to bring readers this unforgettable novel. Her One Regret is at once a pulse-pounding feminist thriller, a moving depiction of the realities of motherhood, and a rich exploration of a subject our culture and society have rendered nearly verboten: the possibility that for some women, motherhood is an unfixable mistake.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
At the outset of this deeply felt feminist thriller from Freitas (The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano), gorgeous real estate agent Lucy Mendoza vanishes from a Rhode Island supermarket parking lot, her nine-month-old daughter left wailing in a shopping cart. A few days into a massive statewide search, Lucy's most shameful secret comes out: she's fantasized about faking her own kidnapping to escape the motherhood she never wanted. Social media erupts, pundits excoriate her, and those who actually know her—including her husband Sam and her best friend Michelle—fear the revelation might undermine the full-court press to find her. A similar worry galvanizes retired detective Diana Gonzalez, for whom Lucy's disappearance recalls two cases of missing mothers that bookended her time on the force. Meanwhile, Lucy's plight resonates with artist Julia Gallo, who feels marooned at home with her nine-month-old son, her creative career seemingly torpedoed while her professor husband chases tenure. Freitas nimbly juggles chapters narrated by Michelle, Diana, Julia, and occasionally Lucy, maximizing suspense at every turn. Occasionally, the characters' venting about motherhood feels didactic, but for the most part, this rivets.
