What I Had Before I Had You is a contemporary, debut novel from Sarah Cornwell, an acclaimed short story and Pushcart Prize winning writer.
The writing.is.beautiful.
I am not going to do it justice, so I will just tell you a bit about the story. Recently divorced Olivia returns to her hometown on the Jersey Shore for the first time since 1987 with her daughter, Carrie, and son, Daniel, newly diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Lost in her memories, Olivia does not immediately realize her son has disappeared, and when she does she is quickly brought back to the summer she was 15 when she goes searching for her twin sisters and discovers buried family secrets.
Basically, What I Had Before I Had You is about past and present appearances and disappearances, told in two suspenseful parallel narratives. A riveting, deeply poignant story of parents and children, deep-seeded memories, and mental illness which is handled with grace and compassion.
Please download an egalley from Edelweiss. You won't be sorry.
– Annie