The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld Also by this author: The Enchanted
Published by HarperCollins on September 5, 2017
Genres/Lists: #30Authors, Fiction
Pages: 288
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Rene Denfeld, a #30Authors contributor whose novel The Enchanted, was an award-winning lyrical masterpiece, is back. This time, she explores what it means for a child to go missing, the stories they tell themselves to survive, and how the threads of despair can weave their way into everything we do in The Child Finder.
At the age of 5, Madison Culver went missing. Three years later, “child finder” Naomi No-Name is on the case, but what she finds is not what anyone could have imagined. Because Naomi, too, is a woman without a past, and in her search for the young girl, she finds herself face-to-face with her own demons.
America was an iceberg shattered into a billion fragments, and on each stood a person, rotating like an ice floe in a storm.
The Child Finder is both the stories of Madison, who creates her own world and identity in order to survive each day and Naomi, who throws herself into finding missing children in order to avoid her own past. The narration flips back and forth, with each telling their stories. At times it is devastatingly heartbreaking, while at others it is tinged with hope.
Denfeld also has a knack for showing the full spectrum of the human psyche, taking black and white issues and putting them firmly in the gray. It’s easy to forget to hate the villain or to love the protagonist, and if I had to hazard a guess, I would guess that Denfeld knows exactly how flawed is humans are. She deftly handles questions of mental illness, how circumstances shape future actions, and the unbreakable human spirit, in a way that is humbling, solemn, and optimistic all at once.
Readers who appreciate lyrical prose and the subtle beauty of a story will devour @ReneDenfeld's #TheChildFinder Click To TweetWhat’s more, her writing is unparalleled. Like The Enchanted, The Child Finder is a thing of beauty. I don’t know how or where Denfeld learned to write with such lyrical prose, but her words practically sing off of the pages and it’s a beauty to behold. It’s a fast-paced story that slowly unravels and, in some ways, reminds me of Claire Fuller’s Our Endless Numbered Days.
Once again, Denfeld has shared with us an unforgettable story and I can’t wait for her next novel.
Recommended for: Readers who appreciate lyrical prose and the subtle beauty of a story.
