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A heart-breaking account of how those who love us most can be blind to our needs.

Anna is found alone on a cliff top covered in cuts and bruises, unaware of where she is or what has happened to her six week old baby Jack. Rushed to hospital, Anna is diagnosed with postpartum psychosis and sectioned under the mental health act – a nightmare for Anna, and her husband who is left reeling with shock and grief. There is little doubt something awful has happened to Jack. But what happened? Could Anna have been responsible or is she a victim herself?

Fractured is an insightful portrait of a family’s grief and the very real problem of identifying and managing mental illness. Barker is a psychologist and her ability to communicate Anna’s thoughts and feelings is exceptional, as is her portrayal of the various reactions of the family members. Tension is maintained by drip-fed revelations that keep you reading even when the weight of the story becomes almost too heavy, and by the structure which moves forward and backward from the point at which Anna is found on the cliff top. At times, particularly toward the climax, I found this structure a little frustrating, perhaps because for me this was such a harrowing tale. Barker doesn’t dwell on the loss of Jack (thankfully) but rather shows us the family’s shock and heartache as the truth emerges and Anna begins to remember. Written without judgement, Barker builds great sympathy for all of her characters; how we as readers respond to them is up to us.

Fractured is a novel that draws you in, twists you in knots and stays with you long after the story has ended.