In the StoryThe Child Who Called Me Mom
Nina is seven. She calls her nurse “Mom” and knows her lullaby. At the hospital, Claire Vannier is used to reassuring children without taking their families’ place. Nina’s recognition unsettles that distance. A word could be a simple mistake. A private song makes ordinary explanations harder to return to.
Open the novel ↗A moment in the opening pages
In bed, Nina slept on her side, one hand above the blanket as though she had forgotten to tuck it in with the rest of her body. Her mother occupied the convertible chair by the window. All that showed was a bare foot and a mass of black hair spilling from the ward’s fleece blanket.Read the excerpt ↗