A gripping contemporary novel from a magnificent new talent that tackles the almost unbreakable loyalty of female friendships, the generosity of community and the lengths we will go to save a child.
Ren will do anything for her best friend, Anna. The news that Anna’s daughter Charlotte has terminal brain cancer sends them on a desperate hunt for a cure and their only hope lies in an expensive European drug trial.
Ren jumps on board Anna’s fundraising efforts, willing to put everything on the line – her reputation in their close-knit community and all the money she can beg or borrow – to secure Charlotte’s place. When the local charity drive quickly becomes a nationwide campaign, townspeople start asking questions about the trial. Questions Ren can’t answer.
The more she uncovers, the more Ren realises the truth is darker than she could ever imagine. Are there any lines that won’t be crossed in their fight for Charlotte?
This is quite a debut for Kylie Orr. Someone Else’s Child was longlisted for the Richell Prize, the MsLexia International Novel Competition and awarded the Dymocks & Fiona McIntosh Commercial Fiction Masterclass scholarship. It had me turning pages until the end – an unputdownable, one-sitting read.
Told through the eyes of Ren, a long-time family friend to Jez and his wife Anna and their daughter Charlotte. Ren is at the centre of this family as they fight to keep Charlotte (Lottie) alive. Jez works away for weeks at a time on a motorway tunnel project, so it’s the magnetic Anna who manages all the doctor’s appointments and treatment for their daughter. As any mother would, she won’t accept that Lottie is going to die and has found an expensive drug trial. With her PR background, it isn’t long before she’s rallying her small community to support her daughter’s treatment. And from there, she takes her pleas national…
It would be a rare reader who hasn’t seen articles, news clips or reels on social media about a sick. Perhaps you’ve even donated to a fundraising campaign to support a sick child and struggling family. But how do we know we’re being told the truth? Orr has taken that premise and crafted a gripping thriller. Someone Else’s Child is not a simple cancer scam story. It’s much more complex, addressing trauma, mental health, motherhood and loss. It’s tightly plotted, and Ren is the perfect protagonist here. Like a frog in boiling water, it takes her a while to realise what’s going on, but really, who would ever suspect a friend might not be entirely truthful about their child’s cancer and treatment? And naturally, wouldn’t any mother do anything to save her child?
I can’t say much more without giving something away – read this for yourself. It’s an engrossing story from a debut author to watch.
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