Before I Let You Go

January 8, 2018
Rimmer (A Mother’s Confession) delivers a heartrending tale of dysfunctional horror as two sisters wrestle with the consequences of unjust laws. After Lexie Vidler escaped a fundamentalist cult as a teenager in rural Illinois, she worked hard to break free of her traumatic childhood and became a successful doctor. But her fresh start is interrupted when she gets a call from her younger sister, Annie, a heroin addict: Annie is pregnant. The two then try to get Annie into rehab—instead of charged for chemical endangerment of her unborn child. After Annie moves in with Lexie, old wounds are reopened and Lexie is forced to revisit her abusive childhood. Although Rimmer’s story sometimes becomes preachy as the injustices pile up, this morality fable beautifully captures Lexie’s guilt for feeling like she could have done more to help her sister earlier in life and exposes many hypocritical attitudes embedded in American culture. “We hold our pregnant women on a pedestal in this society,” Lexie says. “ women who use drugs in pregnancy have fallen off the pedestal, and don’t we all just love to punish them for that?” Rimmer’s timely novel captures the unbreakable bond of two sisters and humanizes the difficult intersection of the opioid epidemic and the justice system.

March 1, 2018

When Lexie and Annie's father died, their lives changed forever. Older sister Lexie worked hard to overcome her difficult childhood and became a doctor. Annie, an aspiring writer, didn't fare as well and ended up a heroin addict. The sisters have a strong bond, but Annie's condition tests it. When Lexie's landline rings during an estrangement from Annie, she learns her troubled sister is still using and is pregnant. Lexie and her surgeon fianc', Sam, rush to Annie's aid, but they can't rewrite the Alabama state law that punishes pregnant drug addicts. Lexie promises her sister she will take care of the baby while Annie is in court-ordered rehab, putting a strain on her relationship with Sam. But can Annie actually beat her demons this time? And what happens if she can't? Best-selling author Rimmer (Me Without You; The Secret Daughter) alternates between Lexie's and Annie's voices and delivers an engrossing novel about sisters, families, and addiction. However, the only likable character is the baby (unless you don't like babies). Annie is manipulative and has issues with authority, Lexie is an enabler, their mother is distant, and Sam is annoyingly needy. But their flaws make them realistic, and their struggles will engage and touch readers. VERDICT For fans of contemporary family fiction. [See "Editors' Spring Picks," LJ 2/1/18.]--Samantha Gust, Niagara Univ. Lib., NY

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 23, 2017
Successful physician Lexie receives a frantic call in the middle of the night—her younger sister Annie is addicted to heroin and heavily pregnant. Lexie rushes Annie to hospital, but the question is: will the baby survive, and if it does, will Annie be granted custody of her own child? The baby is likely to be born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, which means it will go into drug withdrawal after birth. Annie may not only lose custody of her baby, but also face prosecution for chemical endangerment. Most of the story is set in the hospital, as lawyers and child protection services get involved in the case. While the pace could be quicker in these sections, it does start moving at a more satisfying clip in the final act, as the action moves away from the hospital and into Lexie’s home. A subplot about the sisters’ childhood experiences in a religious sect adds an interesting backstory, and it’s a shame this part of the story isn’t explored in greater depth. The medical and legal details are interesting, but they come at the expense of well-developed characters, and some of the dialogue doesn’t ring true. It’s the themes that take centre stage here, and the story is ripe for book club discussion and would suit readers of family dramas and contemporary women’s fiction.  Melinda Allan is a librarian and freelance reviewer