Lost in the Forest By Sue Miller, Bloomsbury £7.99
 
When we first meet the Albemarle family they are deep in shock and grief because John – their rock - has been killed by a car. His death hurls the family into crisis and sets the plot in motion.

In the same way that the family used to pass stories around the dinner table to amuse four-year-old Theo, Miller seamlessly passes her story from one character to another – mother Eva, 15-year-old Daisy and her father and Eva’s ex-husband Mark. Through these three we learn of a widow’s fears for the future, of an ex-husband’s regrets at the past, and an adolescent’s anger at the blows life has dealt her while all around everyone else seems to be picking up the pieces.

Floundering under her emotions Daisy avoids her parents, fights with her sister Emily, teases little Theo and begins to steal. Just as she is at her most vulnerable, in steps a man only too willing to take advantage.

Lost in the Forest is a poignant exploration of changing family relationships, a damaged teenager’s blossoming sexuality, and deeply-felt loss.  HL

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