The couple both loves Sarah to distraction, but has slightly different views toward her upbringing. Jess wants never to place their child in harm’s way, while Mike believes she deserves to be treated as one would any child of her age even though she may suffer some bumps and bruises along the way.

Living in a small town near Boston has allowed the family to take advantage of winter sports. One afternoon Mike promises Sarah he will take her sledding at Roby Park, otherwise known as the Hill. One side of the Hill was less bumpy and more suitable for younger children. The other side was steeper and used by snowboarders and older children. Jess is concerned that Sarah might get hurt on the Hill, and has given Mike explicit instructions to take her sledding nearby on a gentler slope. Because he has promised and Sarah is insistent, he takes her to the Hill anyway.

When they arrive, they meet Mike’s good friend Bill and his daughter Paula who is eight. Sarah wants to go down the hill with Paula. No parental supervision for her! Mike finally agrees and the girls head off. Some time later Paula is back without Sarah. Some of the older children were shoving them around and they had been separated. Mike is frantic. All he is able to find is Sarah’s sled and her broken glasses. He knows she must be frantic because her eyesight is very poor without them. Volunteers and later the police comb the area, but are unable to locate the little girl. The police suspect she has been abducted.

Six years pass, during which Mike and Jess divorce. The strain of Sarah’s loss, blame, and guilt has driven them apart. Mike, however, will not give up hope of finding their daughter. The police are reasonably sure a defrocked priest, Father Jonah, is responsible for Sarah’s disappearance, but there is not enough evidence to bring him to trial. Now Jonah is seriously ill and depressed because of his illness. He claims he is not responsible for Sarah’s abduction or for two other girls that are also missing under similar circumstances. Mike tires to reason, cajole, or otherwise coerce Jonah into giving him information that will enable Mike to locate his daughter, but the priest remains mute, protesting his innocence.

Then Jonah dies, a suicide by hanging, and Mike is left with virtually no leads to his daughter until his estranged father, Lou, supplies a few clues not only in relation to his daughter’s plight, but to Mike’s own mother who has not been a part of Mike’s life since he was eight.

Remembering Sarah is a page turning, gut wrenching, emotional roller coaster of a story that will quickly attract the attention of any parent. The plot itself is enough to keep anyone reading much longer than they had originally intended, but there is a good deal more to be garnered from this action packed volume. The setting is not of paramount importance except in that the cold miserable weather contributes to the downcast mood of the major protagonists. There is a heavy concentration in Boston of devout Catholics which is important to the story line, but nothing else in the narrative identifies the place as being unique to Boston or New England.

The author employs the third person for the narrative which is effective in that the reader is able to get a larger frame of reference, but Mike is the central character and the narrative is from his viewpoint. Occasionally the viewpoint shifts to another character, which allows the reader access to information of which Mike would have no knowledge. The change is effected easily and efficiently.

None of the major players in the book are stereotypical. No one is the personification of good or evil. Some of the characters have made poor choices as has Mike’s father, Lou. From Mike’s point of view, his dad is an abusive drunk who, because of his behavior, has caused his mother to flee. Mike thinks his father has spent Mike’s lifetime telling him lies. Only later does he realize that is not the case. Mike has a difficult time containing his impulsiveness which comes back to haunt him, and Jess is not the paragon of virtue that Mike has long thought her to be.

Remembering Sarah is peopled with characters who are struggling to make some sense of their lives in a not very sensible world. Mr. Mooney also excels in his description. Any reader will be able to conjure up an image of Jonah as the author describes him on his sick bed. Readers will also easily relate to Mike’s feeling of complete inadequacy when he realizes that Sarah is missing. The author’s ability to engage his readers’ emotions is evident from the first page.

--Andy Plonka