Familiarity

Sep 23, 2006
1:30 PM

The Sinner
- Tess Gerritsen

... While Grace vented her frustration, Maura was watching Noni's reaction. The girl had gone perfectly still, her legs no longer swinging, her jaw clamped tight in an obstinate square. But the dark eyes briefly glistened with tears. Just as quickly, the tears were gone, erased by the furtive swipe of a dirty cuff. She is not deaf and dumb, thought Maura. She hears the anger in her mothers' voice. Every day, in a dozen different ways, Grace surely conveys her disgust for this child. And the child understands. No wonder Noni is difficult; No wonder she makes Grace angry. It's the only emotion she can wrest from her mother, the only proof that any feeling at all exists between them. Just seven years old, and already she knows she's lost her futile bid for love. She knows more than adults realize, and what she sees and hears is surely painful.