
Former clinical psychologist Lucinda Berry's chilling debut thriller explores a mother's unraveling psyche after trauma. Compared to "Gone Girl" by Closer Weekly, this 2016 psychological suspense leaves readers questioning: What happens when the person you trust most - yourself - becomes unreliable?
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What happens when thirty seconds of trauma destroys everything you've carefully built? In "Missing Parts," we meet Celeste-a successful insurance company COO with a loving husband David and four-year-old daughter Rori. But beneath this polished exterior lies a crumbling marriage and a woman haunted by what she can only refer to as "That Night." She's considered confessing to David countless times but stops herself when looking into his "innocent blue eyes," believing that "thirty seconds didn't have to ruin a lifetime." Their once-harmonious relationship began deteriorating after Rori's birth, particularly during their daughter's recurring bladder infections. Their first major fight erupted when Celeste asked if David's concern stemmed from fear someone might suspect him of molesting Rori-a sensitive topic given his past. His response-"Somebody's got to worry about her"-wounded Celeste deeply, suggesting she wasn't concerned enough about their daughter. The painful journey to conceive Rori took over three years and multiple miscarriages, but parenthood transformed David from relaxed to hypervigilant, creating a role reversal Celeste struggles with daily.
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