The Promise Between Us by Barbara Claypole White
“If
you leave your newborn child because you have unstoppable thoughts of
harming her, are you a good mother or a terrible one? This dilemma is
at the heart of Barbara Claypole White’s novel, a wrenching story
of how one woman’s OCD has a ripple effect on those around
her—including the people she tried hardest to protect. This is an
eye-opening and realistic exploration of mental illness—a topic
that greatly deserves to be front and center.”—Jodi
Picoult, New
York Times bestselling
author of Small
Great Things
Metal
artist Katie Mack is living a lie. Nine years ago she ran away from
her family in Raleigh, North Carolina, consumed by the irrational
fear that she would harm Maisie, her newborn daughter. Over time
she’s come to grips with the mental illness that nearly destroyed
her, and now funnels her pain into her art. Despite longing for
Maisie, Katie honors an agreement with the husband she left behind—to
change her name and never return.
But
when she and Maisie accidentally reunite, Katie can’t ignore the
familiarity of her child’s compulsive behavior. Worse, Maisie
worries obsessively about bad things happening to her pregnant
stepmom. Katie has the power to help, but can she reconnect with the
family she abandoned?
To
protect Maisie, Katie must face the fears that drove her from home,
accept the possibility of love, and risk exposing her heart-wrenching
secret.
Bestselling author Barbara Claypole White
has created her own idiosyncratic niche in mainstream fiction:
hopeful family drama with a healthy dose of mental illness.
Originally from England, she writes and gardens in the forests of
North Carolina, where she lives with her family. Her novels include:
The
Unfinished Garden, Mira Books,
2012,
winner of the Golden Quill for Best
First Book 2013; The In-Between Hour,
Mira Books, 2014,
chosen by the Southern Independent
Booksellers Alliance as an Okra Pick;
The Perfect Son, Lake Union, 2015,
Goodreads Choice Awards
Semi-finalist for Best Fiction; Echoes
of Family, Lake
Union, 2016, WFWA 2017 Star Award
Finalist; The Promise Between Us,
Lake Union, 2018. (View the book
trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tLW9XFo0nlg&t=5s)
Barbara
is also an OCD advocate for the A2A Alliance, a nonprofit group that
promotes advocacy over adversity.
To
listen to Barbara’s 2018 interview with Frank Stasio on The State
of Things, click here:
http://www.wunc.org/post/her-family-grapples-ocd-author-tackles-stereotypes-through-writing?fbclid=IwAR08E-DQ73f31jWBP2uKlix-eFsV7OOSQk_pXfS4uX3kqgnuHkbtVeB1Wvc
To
watch Barbara’s 2018 interview with Linda Hurtado on Fox 13, click
here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJUPUBZLCf8&t=33s
