1. The Year of Fog by Michelle
Richmond
Absolutely Mesmerizing
Life changes in an instant. On a foggy beach. In the seconds when Abby
Mason—photographer, fiancée soon-to-be-stepmother—looks into her
camera and commits her greatest error. Heartbreaking, uplifting, and
beautifully told, here is the riveting tale of a family torn apart, of the search
for the truth behind a child’s disappearance, and of one woman’s
unwavering faith in the redemptive power of love—all made startlingly
fresh through Michelle Richmond’s incandescent sensitivity and
extraordinary insight.
Six-year-old Emma vanished into the thick San Francisco fog. Or into the
heaving Pacific. Or somewhere just beyond: to a parking lot, a stranger’s
van, or a road with traffic flashing by. Devastated by guilt, haunted by her
fears about becoming a stepmother, Abby refuses to believe that Emma is

2. dead. And so she searches for clues about what happened that morning —
and cannot stop the flood of memories reaching from her own childhood to
illuminate that irreversible moment on the beach.
Now, as the days drag into weeks, as the police lose interest and fliers
fade on telephone poles, Emma’s father finds solace in religion and
scientific probability—but Abby can only wander the beaches and city
streets, attempting to recover the past and the little girl she los t. With her
life at a crossroads, she will leave San Francisco for a country thousands
of miles away. And there, by the side of another sea, on a journey that has
led her to another man and into a strange subculture of wanderers and
surfers, Abby will make the most astounding discovery of all—as the truth
of Emma’s disappearance unravels with stunning force.
A profoundly original novel of family, loss, and hope —of the choices we
make and the choices made for us—The Year of Fog beguiles with the
mysteries of time and memory even as it lays bare the deep and wondrous
workings of the human heart. The result is a mesmerizing tour de force
that will touch anyone who knows what it means to love a child.
From the Hardcover edition.
Personal Review: The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond
"Here is the the truth, this is what I know: there is a girl, her name is
Emma. We were walking on the beach, it was cold and very foggy. She let
go of my hand; I looked away to take a photograph. Seconds passed.
When I looked back, Emma was gone."
This passage is the haunting refrain echoed again and again in this
memorable book. The story is of a young soon-to-be-stepmother, Abby,
whose fiance's six year old daughter disappears under her watch. The first
time I read this book, I was dating (soon to be engaged and later to be
married to) a man with two young children, including a six year old girl. The
synopsis of the book pretty much sounded like my worst nightmare, and
who doesn't love a good safe trip down "What If" lane, when you know it's
all fiction anyway? Or so I thought.
And indeed, it is a nightmare-inducing kind of book, for anyone who has
seen the Missing Child posters or heard on the news of a kidnapped child
and felt a twinge of "thank God it's not my kid/niece/best friend's child". The
story is beautifully written, haunting, captivating, heartbreaking, a trifle

3. wordy, and in a strange way, uplifting all in one. It was as if Abby, in many
ways, was myself, in this indescribably unspeakable situation (I think the
author has captured the agony well, and I truly wouldn't wish it on my worst
enemy). The story captivated me so strongly that I have since dreamed
several times about the characters, as if they were real people whom I
know.
Dipping my toes into my worst nightmare, through A bby, knowing I would
have similar feelings as she should such a horrible thing befall me was
both terrifying and mesmerizing. I loved every word of this book, and I
have since read it three more times. The end never fails to bring me chills
and even tears. Yes, the long discussions about memory at first bored me,
but I think they have a very important role to play in Abby's incremental
awakening. I'm glad the author included those parts.
I could not put it down; I had to know what happened to Emma. I won't
spoil any secrets but I will say you DO get an answer. I highly recommend
this book! And as an aside, whenever I am out alone with my stepkids, I
never fail to think of Abby and Emma and watch them just that much closer
than I do when their father is with us...
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