Let Her Go in Aussie Readers

Mar 10, 2014 Brenda rated it really liked it

Shelves: psychological-thriller, aussie-authors, borrowed-from-library, mystery, 2014-release

4.5★s

For Zoe McAllister the heartbreak of three miscarriages plus lupus, the disease she had had since she was sixteen years old, never went away. But the day the doctor told her she would never be able to have a child was devastating – her great and overwhelming wish was to become a mother; now it would never happen. It would just be her and Lachlan growing old together without the happy laughter of children to fill their lives.

So the day that Nadia, Zoe’s half-sister offered a solution to hers 4.5★s

For Zoe McAllister the heartbreak of three miscarriages plus lupus, the disease she had had since she was sixteen years old, never went away. But the day the doctor told her she would never be able to have a child was devastating – her great and overwhelming wish was to become a mother; now it would never happen. It would just be her and Lachlan growing old together without the happy laughter of children to fill their lives.

So the day that Nadia, Zoe’s half-sister offered a solution to hers and Lachlan’s heartbreak was one of confusion but tentative joy. And three long years later, Zoe was at last holding her dream in her arms. But her happiness was tempered by a ripple of unease; she was confused by Lachlan and his moodiness. Nadia didn’t seem to be herself – what was wrong? What was happening within her previously close knit family?

Seventeen years later, Louise was rebellious – into drugs, drinking, smoking; all the things she knew her parents abhorred. But she was determined to be her own person – she fought her parents every step of the way. They didn’t understand her – they had no idea how she was feeling, did they? Suddenly everything began spinning out of control as Louise discovered secrets – secrets from her past that she had no idea about. As these secrets slowly came to the surface, the fragile demeanour of Louise and her family began to crack. Would their lives ever be the same again?

This is the second novel by Aussie author Dawn Barker and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The topic was emotional and the reality of what happened was there every inch of the way. The main characters, Zoe, Lachlan, Nadia and Louise, all had flaws, some more than others. The side characters played a great part as well – but I didn’t find myself loving any one character, rather their parts were played well to complete the story as a whole. I did find myself wanting to shake a couple of them now and then though!

All in all, this is a powerful novel about love and all its emotions; plus the desire to help a loved one and the consequences of those actions. A novel I have no hesitation in recommending highly.
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Mar 23, 2014 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: arc-are, netgalley-reviews, provided-by-publisher, aussie-author

Zoe is devastated when she learns that the disease she has battled her entire life has robbed her of the chance to have a child of own, so when her step sister, Nadia - already a mother to three healthy, adorable children - offers to be a surrogate for Zoe and her husband Lachlan, Zoe is thrilled and determined to make it work. Three years later, Nadia places a newborn baby girl in her sister's grateful arms but is she really prepared for the reality of letting the child, her daughter, go?

Exami
Zoe is devastated when she learns that the disease she has battled her entire life has robbed her of the chance to have a child of own, so when her step sister, Nadia - already a mother to three healthy, adorable children - offers to be a surrogate for Zoe and her husband Lachlan, Zoe is thrilled and determined to make it work. Three years later, Nadia places a newborn baby girl in her sister's grateful arms but is she really prepared for the reality of letting the child, her daughter, go?

Examining the ethical issues surrounding altruistic surrogacy, and the complications that can affect such arrangements, Let Her Go, by Dawn Barker, is an absorbing and thought provoking novel.

Barker's characters are believable, ordinary people with familiar flaws and insecurities. My sympathies were torn between Zoe, desperate in her desire for a child, and Nadia, whose generous intentions are corrupted by an instinct she can't control. The author portrays these two women, and their decisions and actions, with extraordinary sensitivity and compassion, acknowledging the complicated situation that extends beyond simple judgements.

"No one ever knows the effect on the future of the things we do now; we just have to do what we think is right at the time."

In including the narrative of seventeen year old Louisa, Barker adds another layer of perspective to the issue and exposes the hubris of judging what is in a child's best interest. The author asks, what happens when the child's best interest conflicts with our own ability to provide it?

Other issues touched on in Let Her Go included mental illness, disability and domestic violence. These elements help to both flesh out the characters, and the motivations for the choices they make during the story.

Part family drama, part psychological thriller, the pacing of Let Her Go is ideal, with shifting timelines drawing out the subtle, but ever present, suspense. I was never entirely sure how the story would unfold, constantly anticipating the unknown.

A compelling, poignant novel about motherhood, family, loss and love, Let Her Go is a story that is hard to let go of.
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Jul 07, 2016 Kathryn rated it it was amazing

Shelves: australian-authors, reading-list-2016, fiction, 5-stars

Wow! The back of the book says “LET HER GO is a gripping, emotionally charged story of family, secrets and the complications of love.” And I can testify that “gripping” and “emotionally charged” are very appropriate adjectives to use. If anything, I think this is even better than Fractured, and I gave it 5★. A word of caution, however: this is perhaps not the best book to be reading if you are very hormonal or feeling excessively emotional. It would be a difficult read for anyone struggling with ...more

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Mar 27, 2014 Lauredhel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary, netgalley, disability, australian-women-writers-challenge, australian, western-australia, aww2014

Zoe clings to baby Louise on the Rottnest ferry:

"Zoe turned to look out to sea. She hunched over so that her chin covered the head of the baby held against her chest, as if they were one being, as if she could make enough room for the child to simply melt into the space in front of her heart, where no one could ever take her away. Is that how it would have felt to have borne her?"

As the story unfolds in shifting timelines, we find out why Zoe is escaping to Rottnest in midwinter with a baby she ...more

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Mar 12, 2014 Janine rated it it was amazing

Shelves: net-galley

This book had me hooked from the very beginning. Dawn's previous book "Fractured" was one of my top picks for last year, and this new one is up there as well.

The subject of surrogacy is a painful and controversial one but the author handles this issue so well, as she is a Psychologist as well as an author. You see things from all perspectives, the surrogate mother, the adopted mother (who are step sisters), the two husbands and of course the child.
As things progress in this book you can't help b ...more

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