About the Author
Carol Koris’ mind loves to imagine; It spins out of control thinking of “what could/would happen if…”
She was born in Clifton, New Jersey, where family and friends left indelible marks on her imaginative mind. In her first career as a Registered Nurse, she was educated to care for people, both their bodies and minds, at Mountainside Hospital School of Nursing.
Carol honed her craft of writing at Florida International University, where she received an MFA in Creative Writing.
Carol now calls South Florida her home, where she lives with her husband Dave, and, happily, close to her daughters and grandsons.
She recently retired from Johnson & Wales University as a Full Professor, as well as the Chair of the College of Arts & Sciences.
The Synopsis of the Book
Shadow and Light is a novel about a photographer who loses her eight-year-old daughter in a tragic accident then chances across an opportunity to help another parent save her own daughter.
With her marriage strained and her business on the verge of failure, the novel’s protagonist, thirty-four-year-old Maggie Miller, seeks emotional refuge from the death of her daughter in the solitary activity of taking pictures of families at rest stops on the Florida Turnpike. When she finds she has inadvertently taken a picture of a missing child, Maggie’s near-obsessional quest to find the missing girl further imperils her marriage, her business, and, to the concern of those closest to her, her already-fragile psyche.
Her decisions and the actions that follow her search could save or endanger the child’s life, and Maggie realizes she has been attempting to do what she could not do for her own child. In the process of facing the subjectivity of perception and the fallibility of human nature, she brings herself to the first stirrings of self-forgiveness, acceptance, and growth. My Review
My Review
I finished this book over two weeks ago and still, it remains in my head. Koris knows how to write a story that captivated me immediately and she tells it with such raw emotions that I could truly feel the heartache of Maggie who lost her eight-year-old daughter. Something Maggie at times blames herself for.
A gut-wrenching novel that shows the heartache, anguish, and guilt parents go through when experiencing the loss of a child. Their marriage is also put to the test. Maggie wants to talk to her husband about their daughter and lean on him for support. He has no words and is angered by her grief. Will their marriage survive?
But this is not only a book about grief. It is a suspense thriller that involves a kidnapped child. Maggie believed she captured a picture of the girl and is determined to find out the truth at any cost. Even when the police turned her away, believing she was a grieving mother who was seeing things. Anxious to see what Maggie will discover, I could not turn the pages fast enough. What unfolded was a battle of “he said”, “she said”. Maggie needed to find a way to know who was telling the truth. What she discovers is mind-blowing.
This book was beautifully written. Koris is a brilliant writer who pays attention to detail and paints an amazing story with her words.
COVER DESIGN – 5 STARS – The brilliant bright blue color drew me in straight away. The cover captures the storyline perfectly.
CHARACTERIZATION – 5 STARS – I felt every emotion each character felt, from heartache, anger, and sympathy to name a few. The personalities of each person developed perfectly as the story unfolded. I could honestly say I knew them all well by the time I had finished the book.
STORY & PLOT 5 STARS – A fantastic storyline that kept getting better and better.
OVERALL RATING – 5 STARS – I can not say enough about this book. I loved everything about it and highly recommend it. I am anxiously waiting for another book written by Carol Koris.
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