We forgive murderers, not pedophiles.

Not since Lionel Shriver brought us We Need to Talk About Kevin has a writer delved into the complexities of a disturbed mother/son relationship. Until now.

Meet Noah—an A-honor roll student, award-winning swimmer, and small-town star destined for greatness. There weren’t any signs that something was wrong until the day he confesses to molesting little girls during swim team practice. He’s sentenced to eighteen months in a juvenile sexual rehabilitation center.

His mother, Adrianne, refuses to turn her back on him despite his horrific crimes, but her husband won’t allow Noah back into their home. In a series of shocking and shattering revelations, Adrianne is forced to make the hardest decision of her life. Just how far will she go to protect her son?

Saving Noah challenges everything you think you know about teenage sexual offenders. It will keep you up at night long after you’ve read the last page, questioning beliefs you once thought were true.

So like usual, I didn’t read the blurb for this book and I’m glad I didn’t. I’d rather go in surprised and I definitely was.

Lucinda took a very tough subject and wrote it in a way that makes you question. What would you do in this situation? Would you help your child and give them what they want even though you would lose them in the process? Would you still love them even though they did something absolutely horrible and disgusting? It would definitely be a hard pill to swallow.

This book is about a 17 year old who is a pedophile. While his mother still loved him through it all, his father, not so much. We eventually find out why and like most of Lucinda’s books, I wasn’t expecting the twist. But it all makes sense now.

I don’t want to give too much away and like normal, I do suggest going into this book completely blind. It’s about a mother’s love and what she would do to help her child and give them what they want even though it hurts at the same time and would leave a gaping hole in its place.

This story was rough and it’s definitely a tough subject, so if you have triggers, please read with caution. I think the person I felt sorry for the most was Noah’s sister. She was completely innocent in all of this.

Now that I’ve finally caught up and read every Lucinda Berry book, I really can’t wait for her next release.