Reviewed by Ephantus Gold
“The Day I Lost You,” by Ruth Mancini opens in Lauren’s house in Mantilla de Mar, Spain, where she is being accused by the police of abducting a two-years five-months English boy who bears a similar name like her son. She informs them that the child in question is her biological son, and that she has all the necessary documents to prove it. Immediately after the police leave, Lauren’s decides she is not safe, which leads her to pack and leave with the help of her newly found friend, Gabe, who she has long suspected to have feelings for her that run deeper than friendship. They move to a remote, rustic cabin in the Pyrenees mountains that belonged to Gabe’s grandparents. While hiding, she makes contact with Anna, her best friend, who connects her with a criminal defense lawyer who advises her that the only way she can avoid a protracted extradition battle and potential months in a Spanish prison, with Sam going to foster care, is for her to return to the UK voluntarily. But what she doesn’t know is that the truth of what happened in the hospital where Sam was born will be even more shocking than anyone has dared to imagine and turning herself in will only force it into the light, destroying every version of her story. Purchase Here.
This story is constructed from a series of tragic twists that force the reader to closely evaluate the previous chapters as well as any hidden motives in what the characters say. These twists mirror the reality and sometimes messy nature of life, where villains turn out to be the same people who portray themselves as saviors and safe havens. In this story, the twists create a persistent state of unease, giving a sense of a destabilization that can occur any time. This is sure to offer the reader a richer, more demanding and more memorable reading experience.
The characters in this novel are hewn from their respective traumas. Each one of them has had devastating events in life that become the raw material that shape their moves and decisions. The beauty of this is in how these trauma-defined edges clash and grate against each other and how this friction becomes the very engine of the plot. Another thing that makes this story unforgettable is the choice to incorporate a young child as the central character in the story. It is a brilliant choice that weaponizes emotions and beautifully transforms the novel into a gripping emotional ordeal.
“The Day I Lost You,” carries unsettling truths that will leave the reader actively haunted after the final choice is made, as well as forced into a deeply personal reckoning with the very definition of true love. It will also leave them with a sense of the catastrophes that can arise when we keep telling ourselves potentially dangerous lies, especially where survival is involved. This is one of the books out there with deeply flawed characters, which means that readers looking to follow a clear, morally righteous hero may find it easily frustrating. However, those who enjoy being their own detective, sifting through conflicting testimonies and timelines will love every bit of the plot.