From the TBR Pile: Blog Tour: The Girl in the Red Coat by Kate Hamer

Author: Kate Hamer
Publisher: Melville House
Date of publication: February 2016

Newly single mom Beth has one constant, gnawing worry: that her dreamy eight-year-old daughter, Carmel, who has a tendency to wander off, will one day gomissing.

And then one day, it happens: On a Saturday morning thick with fog, Beth takes Carmel to a local outdoor festival, they get separated in the crowd, and Carmel is gone.

Shattered, Beth sets herself on the grim and lonely mission to find her daughter, keeping on relentlessly even as the authorities tell her that Carmel may be gone for good.

Carmel, meanwhile, is on a strange and harrowing journey of her own—to a totally
unexpected place that requires her to live by her wits, while trying desperately to
keep in her head, at all times, a vision of her mother …

The Girl in the Red Coat definitely drew me in right away. It was a hard and emotional book to read. As a parent, I think that is one of my worst nightmares...my child disappears and I have to try to figure out how to move on. This story is told in alternating points of view. We have Beth who loses her 8 year old daughter and her heart breaking count down of the days after. Then, we have Carmel's point of view. This book is unique in that we get to see what actually happened to the child after she was taken. Carmel's story is told through her 8 year old eyes and it is equally heart breaking.

I found Beth's story to be honest and sad. It was heard to watch her struggle to continue on with her life after Carmel disappears. The red shoe scene was gut wrenching! But, even with the thought of never seeing her child again, she is still able to find a future. I found Carmel's storyline more fascinating. I liked that is was told through her 8 year old innocence. And how even at that age, she is able to find coping skills to try to keep her identity. That is really all I want to say about plot. You need to read it to find out what happened.

With that said, I was a bit disappointed with the ending. For me, it was bit abrupt. I wanted more resolution and to find out what happened next. Overlooking that, I did like the rest of the book and do recommend giving this debut a try.

About Kate Hamer

KATE HAMER is a winner of the Rhys Davies Short Story Prize. Girl in the Red Coat is her first novel. It is shortlisted for the Costa Book Award for First Novel and a finalist for The Dagger Award. She lives in Cardiff, Wales with her husband and two children.

Kate Hamer’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, February 15th: Fictionophile

Tuesday, February 16th: Dreams, Etc.

Wednesday, February 17th: Life is Story

Thursday, February 18th: Musings of a Bookish Kitty

Monday, February 22nd: Bewitched Bookworms

Tuesday, February 23rd: A Chick Who Reads

Wednesday, February 24th: Laura’s Reviews

Monday, February 29th: Kahakai Kitchen

Tuesday, March 1st: A Book A Week

Wednesday, March 2nd: A Bookish Way of Life

Thursday, March 3rd: Luxury Reading