The Hand That First Held Mine - Maggie O'Farrell

     In The Hand That First Held Mine, Maggie O'Farrell explores the unreliablity of memory and of the stories we are told about ourselves.  She weaves two storylines into an unforgettable, haunting tale that is one of my favorite reads so far this year.
     Lexie Sinclair runs away from home to the bohemian London Soho of the 1950's.  She falls in love with Innes Kent, a magazine editor/art collector with a messy personal life.  Lexie rises in the male-dominated world of publishing but her personal life is not so charmed.  She becomes a single mother without any support from her family who disowned her when she became involved with Innes. 
     In present-day London, Elina is recovering from the traumatic caesarean birth of her son in which she almost lost her life.  At first, she can't remember the birth.  She and her partner, Ted, must reconstruct what happened, filling in the gaps in what is remembered.
     The connection between the two stories is not evident at first.  But Ted , who has been prone to mental blackouts since childhood, begins to realize that there are things he must remember about his past.  As he does so, the links between Lexie, Innes, Ted, and Elina are revealed bit by bit. 
     The themes of infatuation, passion, love, loss and grief thread through the novel along with that of family secrets and lies that can haunt future generations.  Without revealing more of the story, I will just say that the novel is one you shouldn't miss.

~ Frances