Points of Light — Linda Gray Sexton

Motherhood evokes a woman's most powerful and intimate feelings: a child is part of his mother in ways that friends, even husbands, cannot rival. In this extraordinary novel, Allie Yates, a gifted artist, lives with her gentle husband, Sam, on their family farm in New Hampshire with their three young children. Allie is about to have her first exhibit at a prestigious New York gallery, and Sam is on the brink of making the farm, where he raises horses, the success he has envisioned. Together they are building the foundation for a full and rewarding life, their three children are a constant source of delight: pretty, precocious five-year-old Anna; and the adorable two-year-old twins, Meggie and Jamie, whose personalities offset one another -- Meggie's quiet sweetness is in sharp contrast to Jamie's irresistible antics as the Yateses' only boy.

Yet in the midst of this almost idyllic landscape, Allie is haunted by an inexplicable and intense a fear for her children. Her keen foreboding spreads from her nighttime dreams to her waking hours, manifesting itself most startlingly in her paintings. Then one sunny morning, Allie awakes to find her fears realized, the worst possible tragedy -- the primal fear of every parent -- shatters Allie's world and the world of the Yates family in the weeks that follow. Allie and Sam confront a devastatinyloss for which Allie blames herself. To escape her overpowering grief and guilt, Allie withdraws into her own world, leaving behind the bewildered family and friends she can no longer face. As Points of Light rushes closer and closer to its startling climax, readers will be moved by Allie's enormous courage and Sam's tender and constant love as the Yateses learn to cope and to live again.

Linda Gray Sexton's passionate, wise writing exhibits with lyrical intensity a deep understanding of complex human emotions. Points of Light is a haunting story of loss and redemption, a story of heart-wrenching pain and invigorating hope, a story about the bittersweet nature of life and the healing gift of love.