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Before You Found Me

A Novel

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

Is it ever alright to kidnap a child? With breath-taking suspense, Before You Found Me emotionally explores the fine line between right and wrong in an enduring story of found family and tender love amidst harsh circumstances.

Rowan McNamara doesn't open the door to her new life—she's thrown through it. Following an explosive argument with her abusive fiancé, Rowan runs. With no family except for her estranged sister, Celia, Rowan takes refuge in an idyllic New England town.

There, she meets Gabriel, the eleven-year-old son of her neighbor, Lee. Lee is welcoming, friendly, and a little too helpful. But Gabriel is a mystery: withdrawn, often bruised, and only willing to speak to Rowan through his basement window. When she discovers that Lee has kept Gabriel imprisoned for the past three years, Rowan is desperate to save him. Fueled by outrage and empathy, she abducts Gabriel and flees to her childhood home in rural Oklahoma, determined to raise him as her own.

Together they battle nightmares, curious stares, and Celia's constant disapproval. But when Lee begins haunting more than their dreams, Rowan and Gabriel realize they stopped pretending to be a family a long time ago. Their bond is just as strong as blood, and they're willing to do anything to protect one another.

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    • Booklist

      July 1, 2023
      Beyfuss (After We Were Stolen, 2022) explores the bonds that form after shared trauma in her heartfelt second outing. Rowan McNamara is escaping from her abusive fianc�, finding shelter at her best friend's house. But then she makes an awful discovery--an eight-year-old boy, Gabriel, is trapped in the basement of the house next door. His father beats him savagely and won't let him out. Rowan can't leave Gabriel there, so she frees and kidnaps him. Returning to her parents' house in Oklahoma, Rowan confides in her prickly sister, Celia. The sisters want to build a better life for the boy, but the shadow of his father looms over every decision they make. Rowan must sacrifice everything for the boy she's come to call her son. With its strong characters, tender relationships, and smooth writing style, this page-turner is a perfect fit for book groups. There is plenty to discuss in the novel's moral gray areas and unexpected conflict, although readers should remain aware of the extreme violence and neglect in both Rowan's and Gabriel's pasts.

      COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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  • English

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