Louise Albert

The Wrong Child Louise Albert

The Wrong Child After her husband's untimely death, fifty-one year old Laura Michaels has struggled to raise her two children and build a life for herself, with or without a partner. Then she falls in love with John Ross. Meanwhile, her mother's old friend Sonja Heller tries to renew their relationship which ended with the death of Laura's seven year old sister, Nina. Laura is shocked by the vehemence of her mother's rejection of Sonja and realizes that her mother is hiding a secret. A secret Laura is now determined to uncover, finally answering the question of who is the "wrong child." What follows is how two middle-aged people try to find a life together by exploring the emotional and sexual intimacies of their relationship. This relationship is threatened when John tells Laura that he has the beginning of Parkinson's, presenting her with an agonizing challenge. The novel is also about Laura's struggle to resolve her grief over the death of her sister, and the feeling that she was, in some way, responsible. Woven through the story is the power of music. Music that brings relief from the wounds of long ago. The tender love scenes depicting mature adults in explicit sexual situations is something not often found in today's literature and this approach should be especially appealing to those who are no longer young. However, readers of all ages will respond to the story of the need for love that is always present in all of us at any age. And these same readers will feel the hidden pain that Laura's mother refuses to admit to herself or anyone else.