The Sweet Relief of Missing Children

I received this book as part of Good Reads "First Reads" contest. The title and cover were intriguing and I was immediately drawn into the writing. I will say this for Sarah Braunstein - she is a great writer. There were some really clever, fresh metaphors in the book, as well as wonderful imagery.......more

In this discomforting debut book, every character – and there are many – is guilty of the crime of passivity. It starts with the disappearance of a 12-year-old girl, Leonora – a good girl, who does everything right, a cautious and obedient young lady who possesses “calm confidence, concern for the l......more

The Sweet Relief of Missing Children begins with the story of Leonora. She is pretty and tidy and protected. She has her vaccinations, she knows not to talk to strangers, she eats her vegetables and she never takes the shortcut through the alley. She is precious to her parents and she understands th......more

This blew my mind. A novel in stories that spawns when a girl goes missing. But the missing girl isn’t the point, or isn’t the only point. The point of the novel is the deliberate, poignant, vicious, dark, beautiful detailing of lives in their flawed fullness, of shame and peace and the way time bre......more