Tangled Lives

July 1, 2014
With a rewarding business, a loving husband, and three grown children who still drop by for an occasional dinner, Annie Delancey is as happy as she could beuntil an unexpected envelope from Kent Social Services arrives. Young and scared at 19, Annie gave up a baby boy for adoption many years ago. The baby, now 35-year-old Daniel Gray, wants to get in touch with Annie and learn what he can about his background. While Annie is overjoyed to reintroduce Daniel to her family and attempt to absolve herself of what she's never been able to forget, her mother, husband, and children don't share her enthusiasm. Before Annie realizes it, she's on the brink of losing everything she had worked so hard to gain. Boyd's tenderly emotional novel examines the fragility and resilience of familial bonds. Swinging between waves of tension and hard-won harmony, Boyd deftly navigates the tricky subject matter of adoption, social mores, and delayed redemption. Annie Delancey is a believable, likable heroine, and fans of Joanna Trollope and Liane Moriarty will adore the twisting, turning Tangled Lives.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)