The Forgotten Letters of Esther Durrant: A Novel

“Esther Durrant thinks her husband is taking her away on holiday. She isn’t really in the mood to go. She hasn’t felt like herself since the incident and the last thing she wants is to leave their toddler with the nanny and go away for a week, but her husband insists. What she doesn’t realize is that the “holiday” is a ruse to dump her in an asylum. Neither of them can know what her time there will do to her mind or her heart.

In addition to the story of what happens to Esther and how she came to need mental help in the first place, readers get to know Eve and Rachel. Eve is caring for her beloved grandmother after a hip fracture. Rachel is taking a job researching clams. How are the three women’s tales intertwined? Read to find out.

The beginning of the book is a little slow until it becomes clear how the three women’s stories will come together. Once that thread of commonality was revealed, I couldn’t read fast enough to find out what would happen next. The subplots were compelling in their own right and the book was beautifully written. This is a heartbreaking story of lost love, self-discovery, resilience, and choice. It is an excellent read about the power of women as well as a sweeping love story.”