From the bookshelf of Q&A with Michelle Richmond…

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond

Why we're reading this: About the book (from the jacket):
Six-year-old Emma vanished into the thick San Francisco fog. Or into the heaving Pacific. Or somewhere just beyond: to a parking lot, a stranger’s van, or a road with traffic flashing by. Devastated by guilt, haunted by her fears about…more
[close] About the book (from the jacket):
Six-year-old Emma vanished into the thick San Francisco fog. Or into the heaving Pacific. Or somewhere just beyond: to a parking lot, a stranger’s van, or a road with traffic flashing by. Devastated by guilt, haunted by her fears about becoming a stepmother, Abby refuses to believe that Emma is dead. And so she searches for clues about what happened that morning—and cannot stop the flood of memories reaching from her own childhood to illuminate that irreversible moment on the beach.

Now, as the days drag into weeks, as the police lose interest and fliers fade on telephone poles, Emma’s father finds solace in religion and scientific probability—but Abby can only wander the beaches and city streets, attempting to recover the past and the little girl she lost. With her life at a crossroads, she will leave San Francisco for a country thousands of miles away. And there, by the side of another sea, on a journey that has led her to another man and into a strange subculture of wanderers and surfers, Abby will make the most astounding discovery of all—as the truth of Emma’s disappearance unravels with stunning force.

A profoundly original novel of family, loss, and hope—of the choices we make and the choices made for us—The Year of Fog beguiles with the mysteries of time and memory even as it lays bare the deep and wondrous workings of the human heart. The result is a mesmerizing tour de force that will touch anyone who knows what it means to love a child.

"A mesmerizing novel of loss and grief, hope and redemption, and the endurance of love." -- Library Journal, Starred Review

"Profound, deeply moving, endlessly gripping; you will devour it in a weekend and turn it over to begin again." -- Andrew Sean Greer, author of The Confessions of Max Tivoli

"Suspenseful, richly imagined, and ultimately hopeful, The Year of Fog is a keeper. Michelle Richmond is a talent to watch." -- Joshilyn Jackson, author of Gods in Alabama

“Involving, heartrending and immediately readable.” —San Francisco Examiner

“Gripping.” —People [close]

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(page 287 of 369)
— Aug 19, 2009 03:02PM

what members thought

Mar 25, 2008

Lisa Vegan rated it:

bookshelves: fiction, gr-authors, novels, reviewed, san-francisco, top-100

Read in June, 2008

recommends it for: everyone who enjoys well written novels with realistic and sympathetic characters

This is such a beautifully written and compelling story. I really enjoyed it and I found it difficult when I had to put the book down and do something else.

I loved that I didn’t know how it would end, and I won’t ruin it for those of you who haven’t read it, but the book was suspenseful and emotionally moving from beginning to end.

I live in San Francisco and it is the main setting for the book and, unlike many books that supposedly take place in the city, the author...more

Like this review? yes (9 people liked it)

5 comments

Aug 07, 2007

Suzanne rated it:

Read in June, 2007

I want to say that this is a "literary summer read." It's also a fall, winter, spring read but since it's August and I did read this partly at the beach, I think of summer. I also read this late at night, in my car at lunchtime, and pretty much wherever & whenever I got the chance. The short 2-3 page chapters were constantly tempting me, "Come on, just read another chapter, you know you want to." And I did.

The story is about the disappearance of a young girl i...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

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Apr 20, 2008

Marika Gillis rated it:

bookshelves: fiction, mysteries

Read in May, 2008

"There is a girl, her name is Emma, she is walking on the beach. I look away. Seconds pass. I look back, and she is gone. I keep thinking about the seconds, the ever-expanding circle. How I set this chain of events in motion. How I must find some way to make amends."

The Year of Fog is the the story of Abby Mason, a 32-year-old photographer who is about to be married. While Jake, her fiancee, is away visiting a friend, Abby takes his 6-year-old daughter, Emma, t...more
"There is a girl, her name is Emma, she is walking on the beach. I look away. Seconds pass. I look back, and she is gone. I keep thinking about the seconds, the ever-expanding circle. How I set this chain of events in motion. How I must find some way to make amends."

The Year of Fog is the the story of Abby Mason, a 32-year-old photographer who is about to be married. While Jake, her fiancee, is away visiting a friend, Abby takes his 6-year-old daughter, Emma, to the beach... and Emma disappears. This riveting novel follows Abby's desperate search to find out what happened to Emma, and repair the devastation that has torn her family's life apart.

Michelle Richmond is a spellbinding writer who introspectively explores the facets of human memory in this heartbreaking novel. Desperate to recapture the moment she lost Emma, Abby is frantic to find some morsel of a clue or speck of a memory from that foggy day on the beach that will help her uncover Emma's fate. She wanders the streets and beaches of San Fransisco, she searches the face of every child. Similarly, her camera, behind which Abby used to find her sanity and peace, becomes insufficient at recapturing (or offering clues about) those most precious, essential, life-changing seconds in time.

I picked this book up on a whim at Target a couple of weeks ago simply because of the quote on the front of the book, "Highly recommended [for fans of] authors like Jodi Picoult and Jacquelyn Mitchard." And what a pleasure it is to find a new author to devour! The structure of this book is wonderfully readable. The short chapters (which I love) contain just the right mix of raw emotion and new developments to propel the story forward. Many recent evenings I have spent more hours than I had intended reading "just a little bit more" as I, too, became desperate to know the fate of little Emma. I highly recommend this book to everybody (except worried, overprotective mothers)! Michelle Richmond has told a spectacular story!

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Jul 04, 2008

Laura rated it:

Read in July, 2008

A terrifying scenario. You lose a child. What if it's your fiance's six-year old daughter and you've lost her through three second's inattention on a foggy morning at the ocean, while your fiance is out of town?
Your fiance's life is ruined and so is yours. And what happened to the child?
I read 'The Year of Fog' as fast as I could. That wasn't fast enough---I skipped to the end to see what happened. You are a mature person who would never do such a thing. Still, it's a testament to th...more

Like this review? yes (4 people liked it)

2 comments

Jun 29, 2008

Nan rated it:

(review of isbn 0553591398)

bookshelves: read-in-2008

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

Like this review? yes (3 people liked it)

2 comments

Jun 21, 2008

Toni rated it:

bookshelves: general-fiction

Read in June, 2008

I'm exhausted! I feel like I have walked every mile of San Francisco's streets and beaches with Abby, all the while feeling her compulsion to find Emma and her despair at yet another dead end.
You've all read the synopsis and know what the story is about - suffice it to say this is a roller coaster of a read, so compelling it was next to impossible to put down. I'm now requesting a hold at the library on Michelle Richmond's newest, No One You Know.

Like this review? yes (1 person liked it)

4 comments

Jul 18, 2008

Becky rated it:

Read in July, 2008

Wow, I LOVED this book, which is about a young woman who has her fiance's daughter at the beach, looks away for a minute, and the girl disappears. The book is about her determination to find the girl, whom she has grown to love, day in and day out, even when everyone else has given up. As a parent, I can't imagine how it would be to lose your child and not know what had happened to her. The author blends in a lot of research about memory and photography and San Francisco that is very interesting...more

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Apr 22, 2009

Meg added it

novel,1st edition,signed

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Jun 22, 2008

Jodie rated it:

Read in January, 2009

This book about the year following the disappearance of a young girl drew you in and held you the entire time. It's one of those books you find yourself saying "just one more chapter" or "just one more page" and before you know it you're finished, but you wish you weren't. San Francisco plays a major role and is beautifully described. You can see the story unfold in snapshots like the photography the author describes. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading mor...more

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2 comments

Jul 08, 2008

Reca rated it:

bookshelves: fiction, read-in-2008

Read in August, 2008

This book was an amazing read and I blew through it pretty quickly considering there was no lunchtime reading involved. This was about a determined woman who was taking care of her fiance's daughter when she disappears into the San Francisco fog. The story follows her as she is determined to find the girl and it easily sucked me in. The only thing keeping it from five stars was I didn't like the way the book ended.

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Feb 05, 2008

Lindsay rated it:

As a writer, I appreciate the structure here: short chapters, an obvious "hook" right away, gorgeous chapters of summary/reflection, the bringing in of outside sources... It does everything a good book should do. And it's full of place: San Francisco feels haunted here, and it feels just right.

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Jul 18, 2007

Vanessa rated it:

Gorgeous prose, thrilling plot, poignant characters. Plus, I learned all about surfing and photography and memory. Another plus: it's set in San Francisco and I love reading about a city I love and live in.

I read it over a couple days and then my husband immediately read it, too.

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Jul 09, 2008

Lynne Griffin rated it:

A well-paced, intriguing story with fully rounded characters, The Year of Fog is a must-read. I was completely immersed in the story and I continue to reflect on it as I write this post. Michelle Richmond is a beautiful writer.

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Oct 24, 2007

Kristine rated it:

Read in October, 2007

recommends it for: parents/jodi picoult fans

I could not put this book down. A moving story and totally held me (maybe because I am a parent) It was the kind of book that stays with you. I did not find it slow moving because I empathized so much with the characters.

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