Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson was a well written book.  Composed of two parts happening about 25 years apart, the characters were layered and the relational dynamics were fascinating.  The author was also very creative in how she revealed the intimate details of the storyline.  The bright cover and description drew me in, but the overall storyline was very somber.  The accident that set everyone's world spinning and the subsequent fallout, was depicted in what seemed to be a very real way, and there was an element of closure and even happiness that came at the end, but not one part of the story brought a smile to my face...it was just  a sad book overall.  So, while it was not my cup of tea, and I probably would not recommend it without a disclaimer, for the person who does not mind a more somber storyline with interesting relational dynamics and a different writing style, this book would fit the bill.

 I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Missing Pieces is a beautifully crafted debut novel. A book that maps the emotional terrain of a child’s death and its resounding impact on The Sadler family. Child death is indisputably the most intolerable bereavement of all, and Pearson manages this complex issue with sensitivity, grace, and emotional literacy. 

Plot functions as a historical deconstruction of what happened to Phoebe but also gives a day to day journal of Tom, Linda and Esme’s domestic lives as they attempt to process the immensity of their loss. Shifting narrative perspectives ensures that readers get an unflinching view of how each character perceives the other now that life has altered so dramatically.

Themes of alcohol, parenting and betrayal are explored alongside the primary theme of loss.  Pearson’s writing style is clean with carefully placed detail which delivers her readers concise emotional blows. In reference to the scent of their gone child ‘Phoebe’s apple-sweet scent seemed to linger, still, in the air…Linda felt that by keeping the room closed off, they’d somehow preserved her’ and later, ‘if you look at a star very carefully, and it’s yours, it might wink at you.’ These are heart-reaching details, tiny ones that affect readers well after the book is shut.

Issues of bereavement and death are difficult to tease out, especially in fiction, and I would say that few writers tackle child loss because of the intensity of the emotional debris it brings. It is then, deeply satisfying to read a book that deals with something so emotionally complex, so emotionally rinsing.  Pearson's style is not to linger on the pain. Always moving her narrative forward with well-placed scene changes so that the wound of each arrow is marked but tolerable.
 
Pearson uses time in an experimental narrative structure of two parts which exhibits the far-reaching impact of loss. Part I starts 21 days after Phoebe’s death and features Tom and Linda. Part II is youngest sibling, Bea, and Esme, 9610 days after (roughly 25 years later). Clichés of death imply that time heals and this book is structural testament of this myth because 9659 days later sees two sisters still trying to fill the sibling-shaped gap hollowed out in them both. The shattering consequences of loss. A bold and emotional debut which squeezes at the hearts of its readers.

My thanks to NetGalley and Ipso for this early read of Missing Pieces.

I loved this book!
This is a beautifully written story of sadness, heartache...and hope!
The story flowed perfectly, I enjoyed the format....each chapter a different perspective from the Mum, dad...and Bea!
This is an author to watch....I would put Laura Pearson in the Jodi Picoult category....she’s just that good!,,,

The first half of this book was about the aftermath of a child's death on her family. Linda can barely function in her grief over the loss of her 3-year-old daughter, while Tom struggles to hold the family together. The second half of the book deals with the family's other two daughters and how the loss has shaped their lives. I enjoyed it a lot. It was sad and hard to read at times, the parents' grief and everyone's guilt and self-blame, but I liked it. Four stars.

I really enjoyed this book about a dysfunctional family. 

Linda is very tired. All she wants to do is sleep. She can't stand looking at her husband and she can't stand her daughter at all. She's pregnant again and she wants nothing to do with this new baby. She dislikes her life. Her second child dies tragically when she was three years old.

Her daughter knows her mother doesn't love her and Linda's husband tries to stay away from her. He ends up having an affair and Linda becomes an alcoholic and Bea is born early with issues.

Bea and Esme are stuck living a life knowing their mother was mentally ill and it has impacted their life forever.

This is a great book about two sisters finding love and moving on with their life after having such a horrible upbringing.

Missing Pieces is the first book I've read by Laura Pearson and I am happy to find a new author to follow and read. I loved this book and I hated this book! You'll have to decide what you think after you have read it. I read it in two sittings as I had to find out how it happened! How did sweet, bouncy, happy  Phoebe, a child of only three, die? How can they all move on from the pain. Seven year old Esme's little sister is gone forever. Esme just knows it's all her fault  Phoebe's mom, very pregnant with her third child, is devastated beyond words and knows she is the reason her baby girl is gone.  How can she bring this other baby into the world? Could she even love another child? The father, kind, helpful and loving has a secret. A secret that in his mind made him the guilty party. The damage it does to a family far into the future is what this book is about. It's not revealed until the end how Phoebe actually died, who is really to blame. The new sister Bea feels left out of what once was a happy, loving, and complete family. No one talks about the past at all. Bea only knows she had a sister and she died. The pain each one carries with them swirls around every relationship. Bea, struggles with the feeling of not being a complete part of this family. The fight for survival and the ability to move on are an everyday challenge. It is a book you won't soon forget.  I thank NetGalley for allowing me to read the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.. You'll have to read it to decide if you will love it or hate it. I'm glad I read it.

As this is the debut novel of Laura Pearson, I am elated to note the wonderful skill of storytelling that she possesses and acknowledge her beautiful way with words as she paints a picture of a family shrouded under the cover of grief and the pains of a happier life prior to the moment an unthinkable tragedy struck. As I maneuvered my way through the story, I instantly knew that this would become one of my favorite books and no matter how much time had passed while I was reading it, I simply did not want to put the book down or the story to finish. The mystery surrounding the middle daughter's death hung forbiddingly throughout the story, yet it kept me engaged, desiring to know how the precious 3 year old Phoebe had died. With each page that I turned, I longed to know her cause of death and the moments leading up to the collective despair that each of the family members she left behind endured. I empathized deeply with the mother's lost of her daughter and I felt every bit of the emptiness and heartache she encountered as she desperately tried to come to terms with Phoebe's sudden death. My heart ached with every tear that the mother shed as she downed yet another drink of vodka as she tried to escape her the pain of her reality while chasing away the memory of losing her daughter away in the warming, yet numbing, comfort of alcohol. Midway through the story, there was a heart wrenching shock that left me with my mouth agape, wishing that things had taken another turn. This change in the family's lives set the pace for the remainder of the book and shook me to my core. 

As part two of the story began, I was pleasantly pleased to learn more about the family prior to Phoebe's death as the elder sister, Esme, thoughtfully, yet finally, explained to her younger sister, Bea, the circumstances surrounding their sister's death through a series of letters. Esme's jealously, envy, and love-hate relationship towards Phoebe was one that I knew all too well from a personal viewpoint. As Esme finally revealed her truths to her sister and more secrets from the past before there ever was a Bea were revealed, I lavished in the revelations as if I were personally being told the story by Esme herself. This book was emotionally raw, breathtakingly beautiful as it intricately wove a tale of grief, depression, and a searing devoted love for another human being. The character's deep devotion and longing to fill an unfillable void in their lives that once held the departed Phoebe demonstrated the raw emotions one experiences after the death of a loved one. I read this book within 24 hours and I must honestly say that it stole a piece of my heart when I read the last word on the last page. I look forward to reading more works from this brilliant author in the future.

I loved this book, I think it was written by someone who has experienced or researched this topic greatly.  The characters were exactly the way they should be, in midst of a tragedy, or after, and this is certainly always the case in these types of book.  Heart wrenching to read, but beautiful!

Missing Pieces
By
Laura Pearson


What it's all about...

This is a beautifully written book about a family that is so damaged by the death of a young daughter that they are irretrievably broken. Blame and grief truly shatter this family. Tom...husband and father...does his best to hold his family together but nothing seems to work. Tom’s pregnant wife cannot deal with the birth of a third daughter...and Esme...the oldest daughter is left feeling guilty about what happened to her sister Phoebe.

Why I wanted to read it...

Tom tries everything he can to hold his family together. He takes over their care almost entirely on his own but still his wife withdraws...still his wife drinks...still his wife mourns.  

What made me truly enjoy this book...

I think the writing in this book was real and true. The story was often incredibly sad. But throughout the book...and...even though you know that the three year old daughter died...there was the why as well as the what...I was always turning pages trying to find out how Phoebe died and where the burden of guilt could possibly be.

Why you should read it, too...

Readers who love family stories that are sad but engaging...and where you hope there might be some peace and happiness eventually...will enjoy this beautifully written book.

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.

Elegant, honest and breathtakingly beautiful, Laura Pearson’s debut novel is an impressive and raw portrayal of how one tragedy affects an entire family. In this captivating story Pearson explores the fragility of childhood and how trauma inherently changes our future, focusing on themes of love, honesty and forgiveness.

The story is split in two: the first half about the death of three-year old Phoebe and how it affects Tom and Linda Sadler; the second half takes place 25-years later, focusing on Phoebe’s older and younger sisters, Esme and Bea, and how her death has affected them. Torn apart by grief and a terrible secret, the Sadler family slowly unravels, but can anything bring them back together?

I was completely swept away by this book. It is utterly mesmerising and emotional, an intricately woven exploration of family and grief that had me reaching for a tissue more than once. Pearson deals with numerous contemporary issues with depth and sensitivity. If you’re a fan of Fiona Neil, you’ll love Laura Pearson’s new novel Missing Pieces.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for letting me read Missing Pieces by Laura Pearson in exchange for my honest review.

Missing Pieces is Laura Pearson’s debut novel. The book is divided into two halves, with the first half telling the story of the months following the death of Tom and Linda Sadler’s daughter Phoebe. The second half is set twenty-five years later, and Phoebe’s younger sister Bea is trying to make sense of Phoebe’s death and the devastating effect it has had on their family.

Pearson explores the subtleties of familial relationships, the fragility of children’s thoughts and emotions, and the way that trauma during childhood can have an effect long after the event has passed. The Sadler family were very believable in the way the reacted to Phoebe’s death, and despite the two halves of the book being set a quarter of a century apart, it was easy to understand what had unfolded during that time.

The writing is delicate and honest, and the book was an emotional read. Despite the upsetting content, Pearson handled the topic sensitively and carefully. I would highly recommend this book.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read Missing Pieces.

I found this book to be an excellent example of contemporary fiction. The writing was well done and the characters very in depth. You could really get into this book and allow yourself to feel what the characters were feeling.
Linda and her husband Tom have two young daughters Esme and Phoebe. When a horrible incident at home leaves Phoebe dead Linda who is pregnant and her family have a hard time going on.  After Linda gives birth to their third daughter Bea everything feels worse for her. She can't look at her husband who she thinks is having an affair, or her oldest daughter Esme and feels nothing for the new baby. 
The chapters in the book go back and forth through the different main characters voices.  I really enjoyed reading this book and learning how the family would go forth after all their grief.

This book is about lies, murder, betrayal, and family relationships. 
The story line is good. The characters are set up in their places. There are a few twists, but generally you know where the story is going. It would have been nice to have known a bit about the murderers back ground.  The story does really well on displaying the dynamic of family relationship,. the arguing and fightung,  but in the end being there for each other.
4 Stard

Missing Pieces is a story about family tragedy and the heartbreak of having to cope with the death of their little girl little Phoebe who was only two years old, without giving too much of the story away, it takes you through to what Linda and Tom, her mum and dad went through, what I loved most about this book was that it kept you guessing as to how she died, it had me totally gripped throughout, I really enjoyed it.

This book was written in two parts and unfortunately I found the two parts to really be almost two completely different books. I loved the first half, as upsetting as it was I couldn’t put it down. 
But then...I’m not sure what happened in the second half but it felt long to me and slightly whiny and I missed the dad’s magical stories from the first half.

Very good book set in England. The Sadler family suffers a devastating loss. 
The novel is set in chapters following a devastating even which tears the family apart. 

I recommend this read and want to thank Netgalley for the ARC.