Heart of the Matter

From the NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author comes a moving, thought-provoking novel about the impossible dilemmas two mothers face

As the wife of a leading paediatric plastic surgeon, Tessa Russo can't help but contemplate how fragile life can be. She has witnessed, too often, her husband Nick's sombre mood when he returns from a call-out, knowing that another child has been hurt - damaged, perhaps, beyond repair. Each time, Tessa looks at her own two perfect children and thinks: ' Thank God it isn't us. We're one of the lucky ones'. It isn't until later that she realises how wrong she was.

Valerie Anderson takes nothing for granted. But with one phone call, her world collapses. As a single mother, she was always protective of her son Charlie, and will live to regret how one seemingly insignificant decision leads to a terrible accident - one that will leave Charlie forever scarred. It is only when Nick Russo, Charlie's surgeon, enters their lives, that Valerie finds room for hope.

As the lives of two very different women dramatically intersect, they are forced to question everything they hold dear - and face a future that neither one had ever envisaged.