The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell

This book tells two seemingly separate stories.  Lexie Sinclair is a young woman making her way in the magazine industry in London in the 1950’s.  She is bright, independent, and a colorful individual. 

Fast forward 50 years and we have the story of Elina and Ted, who have just had their first child and both have an affliction of memory. Elina’s comes from a gruesome birth where she lost copious amounts and blood and seem to remember nothing of it. Ted is beginning to have flickers of his early childhood which seem to contradict everything he knows about himself.

I was more than half way through the book before I began to see where their stories would meld.  Ms. O’Farrell does an excellent job of spinning a tale and keeping you reading. Sometime when one reads a book like this you find yourself caring more about one story than the other; not so with this book…I was just as invested in Lexie as I was Elina and Ted.

4 stars (Rated PG – very mild and brief sex scenes, maybe a few obscenities)