When She Was Ours: A Novel by Anna Nordberg

Book Excerpt:

"Thea Erickson, a renowned surgeon, is filled with both joy and grief as her family gathers at their home on a summer night in 1995. Her elder daughter Phoebe is getting married, but even the happiness of the day feels bittersweet, as Thea grapples with a terminal cancer diagnosis. She worries she won’t be around to support her younger daughter Astra, who’s still in college, but even Thea cannot foresee what is to come—a terrible accident the night of the wedding that changes Astra’s life forever.

In a last-ditch effort to protect her family, Thea arranges a secret meeting with an old family friend and extracts a promise that will reverberate long after she’s gone.

Years after her mother’s death, Astra has moved forward with a career and relationship, but she still struggles with her grief. When a man reaches out to her and Phoebe, offering a window into their mother’s past, Astra must make a choice, and her decision forces her to face what it means to love someone after they’re gone, who we decide to forgive, and how families reckon with the past."

Title: When She Was Ours: A Novel 

Author: Anna Nordberg

Publisher:  ‎Lake Union Publishing 

Reviewed By:  Arlena Dean

Rating:  Four

Review:

'When She Was Ours' by Anna Nordberg

My Review:  

I really enjoyed reading When She Was Ours and found it hard to put down. The story is very emotional and explores themes like grief, loss, family, and the bonds between mothers and daughters. It felt like a unique experience.