{Synopsis} – What could cause a mother to believe that giving away her newborn baby is her only option? Cathy Glass is about to find out. From the author of Damaged comes a harrowing and moving memoir about tiny Harrison, left in Cathy’s care, and the potentially fatal family secret of his beginnings. When Cathy is first asked to foster one-day old Harrison her only concern is if she will remember how to look after a baby. But upon collecting Harrison from the hospital, Cathy realizes she has more to worry than she thought when she discovers that his background is shrouded in secrecy. She isn’t told why Harrison is in foster care and his social worker says only a few are aware of his very existence, and if his whereabouts became known his life, and that of his parents, could be in danger. Cathy tries to put her worries aside as she looks after Harrison, a beautiful baby, who is alert and engaging. Cathy and her children quickly bond with Harrison although they know that, inevitably, he will eventually be adopted. But when a woman Cathy doesn’t know starts appearing in the street outside her house acting suspiciously, Cathy fears for her own family’s safety and demands some answers from Harrison’s social worker. The social worker tells Cathy a little but what she says is very disturbing. How is this woman connected to Harrison and can she answer the questions that will affect Harrison’s whole life?
{My thoughts} – Rihanna is not your typical mother that needed the foster care system to take her child from her due to neglect. It’s actually quite the opposite for her. She loves her baby and wants what’s best for him and decides that from early on him going into the foster care system and being placed for adoption is her child’s best option at a good and normal life.
There is so much confidential and secretive information surrounding her case that even the foster carer Cathy doesn’t know why little Harrison has been placed with her. She knows it’s for his and his mother’s safety but not the details that led to his mother ultimately making such a heartbreaking decision.
Harrison the young baby that is Rihanna‘s son has his first year followed through this book. It details everything he’d been through while in Cathy’s care as well as how hard it was in Cathy’s eyes for her family to see Harrison off when it was finally time for him to leave their care.
During Harrison’s stay with them they’d also done respite care for a young girl named Ellie. Ellie’s situation was the opposite of Harrison’s although both broke my heart to read about. Ellie’s is a much more common reason for a child to end up in the foster care system.
I have to admit upon reading this book, it made me sad to hear about the situations of all involved, but also made me glad that there are people like Cathy. Without such wonderful people/families the children in such situations wouldn’t stand a chance. They wouldn’t have the opportunity to get out of their bad circumstances and they ability to move forward in a more positive and healthy environment.
I look forward to reading more books like this one in the future.
Final Conclusion: 5 Star Rating.
