Rowan and June had an altercation, resulting in June taking a leave of absence from her role. Once he said he worried about having children with me, because what if I had our baby and then fell again into that deep pit of despair and couldn’t climb back out?Īll of this comes to a head when June, Rowan and Gabe’s babysitter, goes missing. They’re imprinted onto my life like ink stains, and sometimes Gabe uses them against me when he needs to. I’ve had them before when I was little, and as a teenager, and in college, too. I fell into a dark spell when we got engaged. She begins to question if all these people are truly trying to help her heal, or if something else is really going on. Whether it’s hushed conversations, treating her with fragility, or altogether avoidance – everyone in her life seems to be circling some truth that is unknown to Rowan. While her husband, Gabe, and those close to her know she is struggling, she is sensing something more. The birth of her daughter was a difficult and traumatic one that left Rowan feeling like a darkness is continually sweeping over her. When you experience a trauma and suddenly your hold on reality starts to slip, who would you trust? Can you rely on your husband, your therapist, your friends – even if all of them seem slightly frightened of you? A theme not often covered in the world of crime fiction, The Break by Katie Sise delves into the topic of motherhood, mixing post-partum trauma with the shock of a missing persons case to create a novel where the narrator might not be the most reliable.Īs the new mother of a beautiful baby girl, Rowan O’Sullivan can’t help but feel everyone around her is acting oddly.

Open house by katie sise