The Sweet Relief of Missing Children

Skip this book!  For the first 200 pages I really hung in there hoping that the stories would somehow connect and make sense, but then for the last 159 pages I was just speed reading.  Then I got to the end and was pissed!  There is no closure, no real connection to the big picture at all and no questions answered!  The entire book, as indicated by the title, is a little disconcerting because it deals with topics such as rape, abortion, abduction, suicide and so on.  Everyone's life in this book is sad and pathetic.  If I look through my literature review glass I can come up with some grandiose philosophical ideals I'm sure the author is trying to convey (i.e. the loneliness of parenting, what makes a good parent, sacrifice of your life goals for your child's, etc...) However, I just wanted the book to end because it was depressing as hell.