Book Review: Reclaiming Lily by Patti Lacy

About the Book: A storm the size of Texas brews when Gloria Powell and Kai Chang meet in a Ft. Worth hotel. They have come to discuss the future of Lily, the daughter Gloria adopted from China and the sister Kai hopes to reclaim. Kai is a doctor who had to give up her little sister during the Cultural Revolution and has since discovered that an inherited genetic defect may be waiting to fatally strike Lily.

Gloria's relationship with her daughter is tattered and strained, and the arrival of Kai, despite the woman's apparent good intentions, makes Gloria fearful. Gloria longs to restore her relationship with Lily, but in the wake of this potentially devastating diagnosis, is Kai an answer to prayer--or will her arrival force Gloria to sacrifice more than she ever imagined?

My Thoughts: I must admit that it took me awhile to get into this book - the lilt of English from a Chinese perspective took some getting used to I think. But am I ever glad I did! As I continued to read I was captivated by the story - in fact, multiple storylines, all masterfully interwoven to create a compelling read.

The characters are both well developed and realistic. Their many flaws, fears and struggles make it easy to empathize with them and the storyline is anything but predictable - with a surprise awaiting even on the last page (though my guess was correct, I was far from certain).

Foreign adoption, Chinese culture, discrimination, guilt, fear, life-threatening medical conditions, sacrificial love, teenage angst, natural disasters - a myriad of subjects dealt with in this book.

Thank you to Stephanie and Amy from Litfuse Publicity for organizing this tour and providing me with my complimentary review copy.