The Unknown Daughter

Seventeen years ago, Carrinne Wilmington found herself pregnant and alone. Her wealthy grandfather, the only family she had, insisted she get an abortion. She tried to tell her boyfriend, Eric Rivers, but before she got the chance, he dumped her, cruelly abandoning her by the side of the road as he took off on his motorcycle. With no one to turn to, she left her small Georgia hometown for New York City. There, she gave birth to her daughter Maggie and made a life for them in the city. She never looked back.

Then she was diagnosed with a rare liver disease. Her only hope was a transplant. After her own mother died giving birth to her, Carrinne is unwilling to put her daughter's life at risk to save her own. The only option is to find another relative who might be a close enough match to donate part of their liver. Carrinne never knew who her father was; her grandfather always stubbornly refused to discuss her mother. In order to find the man who fathered her, she must return to her hometown.

But when she arrives, she encounters Eric, now the town sheriff. She's surprised to find him living the life he said he never wanted, having stayed in town to raise his younger brother after the death of their father. He's no longer the motorcycle-riding bad boy who broke her heart, but she'd still like nothing more than to avoid him while she's in town. That may not be so easy when she finds her life threatened. It seems that someone is determined to stop her search for her father's identity before it can begin. Carrinne might have to trust Eric with her life, but she doesn't know if she can trust him with the truth about their daughter.

While there is that suspense thread, this really isn't romantic suspense. It's very much a character-driven drama, highlighted by strong writing and sympathetic characters. One reason the secret child plot seldom works for me is that it's usually quite clear that one character is in the wrong. In most cases, it's the heroine, who kept the secret for no good reason. Here, the author managed to create enough sympathy for both characters that I didn't dislike either of them. Yes, Carrinne should have told Eric some time in the last 17 years, but given the way the circumstances are described, I found it hard to begrudge her choices. In fact, when the inevitable Eric-finds-out-and-does-a-lot-of-yelling scene that all these stories have arrives, I felt bad for her and wished he would tone it down. I seldom, if ever, feel that way.

The likable characters and emotional storytelling are what really make the book work. The author doesn't break any new ground in this familiar material, but she executes it far better than most readers will be used to seeing. Her writing is strong, particularly for a first-time author. There are a few moments when she shows she really knows how to turn a phrase. She does an excellent job exploring of the emotions of the situation, delivering some nicely heartfelt scenes. While there are some predictable moments and typical scenes, I didn't really mind all that much. The story was that engaging.

The author also does a few things that are different from the norm. The way Carrinne ultimately handles the secret is a welcome change from the way most heroines in these books do. It certainly helped me to respect her more. I also really appreciated that this wasn't one of those books that glorifies the small town over the big bad city. Carrinne and Maggie have a perfectly good life in New York, and both Eric and Carrinne voice discontentment with their hometown, although they both come to appreciate it more. In the end, it's left open where they'll ultimately end up. That's indicative of the even-handed way the author handles much of this story. Everything has different dimensions, from the characters to the setting, which make them more interesting.

The Unknown Daughter is a much-better-than-usual version of familiar material, and a promising start for a new author. It's unlikely I'm going to pick up another secret child book soon, but I'd be more than interested to read something else by Anna DeStefano. Anyone who can breathe new life into this storyline deserves to be noted.

-- Leigh Thomas

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