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Slide over. Sit a spell......

Truth be told, I didn't find myself drawn into the first few pages of this novel. The Dream Daughter has Diane Chamberlain handing over a heavy-ladened sandwich on a bendable paper plate. After the first bite, you begin asking yourself what, indeed, is in this hard-to-describe secret sauce that keeps you salivating for the next bite?

This, dear readers, is not my usual fare. I'm not drawn to the likes of time travel, although it does intrigue me. What makes all the difference in the world is that it is penned by Diane Chamberlain. She creates believable characters with believable drive. And what is at the core of all things in this universe is the gut-wrenching reality of we humans with the lost opportunities that slip through our fingers. Regrets that gnaw at us for a lifetime. Or, perhaps, do we have the capability to grasp that golden ring and change the barreling course of the inevitable?

Carly Sears carries within herself the weight of grief so profound that even words are empty vessels. It's April of 1970 and Carly harbors the knowledge that her newly wed husband, Joe, will not be returning from the Vietnam War. Her emotions are in turmoil as the onset of a pregnancy finds limited joy. This child is a mother's monument to the love she shared with Joe. That is why the news of a fetal heart defect is met with such shock and disbelief. How can she bear another loss? In the scheme of all things, the universe is just asking too much.

Carly tries to find solace from her sister, Patti, and her strange, secretive brother-in-law, Hunter. Now here is where Chamberlain asks you as readers to open all the spickets. And, heaven help us, you'll find yourself munching bite after bite of that aforementioned sandwich. Hunter proposes that Carly travel in time to 2001 for a scientific breakthrough with in-uteral surgery to save the life of her child. Book it, Carly.......

Chamberlain provides us with profound scenarios mirroring the onset of the digital revolution happening in America during this time period. We become risk-takers along with Carly. She is forced to take on situations in which she lacks the skill sets. It's akin to opening up packages in which we have no control of the contents. And Chamberlain does it masterfully. Even though we know that there are no "do-overs" in life, just the mere thought of a chance is a powerful, powerful thought.

I received a copy of The Dream Daughter through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanks to St. Martin's Press and to the talented Diane Chamberlain for the opportunity.