The Color of Hope

A "skillfilly crafted and smoothly written" novel of a married couple torn apart by tragedy who find love and forgiveness at the family coastal home ( Publishers Weekly ). Ruth Connelly used to think she had the perfect life—an attractive husband, two children, a partnership in a Boston law firm, and a summerhouse where generations of her family have reveled in the elemental beauty of the Maine coast. But without her even realizing it, everything has started disintegrating. This summer, there is no escape from the tensions which have surfaced between her, Paul, and their beautiful, troubled sixteen-year-old daughter Josie—or from the tragedy that overwhelms them when a sailing trip turns tragic. Trapped in a spiral of guilt and denial, Ruth knows only the darkness of grief until she finds the courage to return to Maine and confront her loss. There, she finally learns to understand why we sometimes inflict the greatest pain on those we love the most. "Madison has drawn finely developed characters who inspire empathy, humor, and even exasperation . . . a surprise ending keeps the reader guessing until the final pages." — Library Journal