Review for With Love from the Inside by Angela Pisel

From the publisher:

Angela Pisel’s poignant debut explores the complex relationship between a mother and a daughter, and their quest to discover the truth and whether or not love can prevail—even from behind bars.

Grace Bradshaw knows the exact minute she will die. On death row for murdering her infant son, her last breath will be taken on February 15 at 12:01 a.m. Eleven years, five months, and twenty-seven days separate her from the last time she heard her precious daughter’s voice and the final moment she’d heard anyone call her Mom. Out of appeals, she can focus on only one thing—reconnecting with her daughter and making sure she knows the truth.

Secrets lurk behind Sophie Logan’s big house and even bigger bank account. Every day when she kisses her husband good-bye, she worries her fabricated life is about to come crumbling down. No one knows the unforgivable things her mother did to tear her family apart—not her husband, who is a prominent plastic surgeon, or her “synthetic” friends who live in her upscale neighborhood.

Grace’s looming execution date forces Sophie to revisit the traumatic events that haunted her childhood. When she returns to her hometown, she discovers new evidence about her baby brother William’s death seventeen years ago—proof that might set her mother free but shatter her marriage forever.

Sophie must quickly decide if her mother is the monster the prosecutor made her out to be or the loving mother she remembers—the one who painted her toenails glittery pink and plastered Post-it notes with inspiring quotes (“100 percent failure rate if you don’t try”) all over Sophie’s bathroom mirror—before their time runs out.

My review:

Grace Bradshaw is a compelling character. Many readers will identify with Grace even if they have never been incarcerated. Knowing Grace’s thoughts, and learning how kind a person she is, takes the reader on a journey of uncertainty about her ability to kill another person. The strong connection Grace has with her daughter Sophie tugs at our heartstrings and makes us wonder if this time, the jury got it wrong.

“With Love From the Inside” is an emotional debut novel. The characters have depth, are well-developed, realistic and diversified. The writing is powerful, filled with a strong substance of love, family, and forgiveness. This may be one of the best new novels of the year and one you won’t forget.

FTC Full Disclosure: A review copy of this book was provided by its publisher.