The Boy from the Woods (Wilde, #1)

by Harlan Coben

Someone once told Hester that memories hurt, the good ones most of all. As she got older, Hester realized just how true that was.

A child comes out hardwired. That was what you learned as a parent—that your kid is who he is and what he is and that you, as a parent, greatly overstate your importance in his development. A dear friend once told her that being a parent is like being a car mechanic—you can repair the car and take care of the car and keep the car on the road, but you can’t fundamentally change the car. If a sports car drives into your garage for repairs, it isn’t driving out an SUV.

Memory makes demands that you often can’t keep. Memory is faulty because it insists on filling in the blanks.