Alison Quinn

Sarah Smith has been working as a nurse's aid for two years at Ellis Hospital (just outside London). She was brought into the hospital two years ago after a bombing raid. (The year is now 1946.) She can remember nothing of her past life---she has amnesia. They named her Sarah Smith when they brought her in because she was wearing a Satyr ring and the inner band was engraved with two S'S like two entwined snakes. She is approximately eighteen or nineteen (the doctor's guess) and she has no one. All she had was the clothes on her back and the ring she was wearing. A kind doctor helped her to get training at the hospital as a nurse's aid so she can earn some money. But Sarah feels imprisoned here and she'd love to leave, even though the staff are nice and friendly.

One day they bring into the hospital a girl who has just been in a car accident named Roma Starr Tate (her car skidded and she ran into a tree) who is from Boston, Massachusetts. She has a husband but they are having trouble getting in touch with him. Sarah sits by her bedside while Roma remains unconscious for days. When Roma finally regains consciousness she asks if Sarah could go to America and let Roma's beloved grandfather know that Sarah was with her in the end (in case she dies). Sarah has become somewhat attached to this patient because they both have many similarities. They were both brought in after having bad accidents, they seem to have no one, and they both bear a striking resemblance to each other. Although Roma is blonde and Sarah is a brunette, they could be look-alikes. Roma eventually dies and her husband finally shows up at the hospital. Sarah has already taken a dislike to him because Roma hinted he was hung up on some girl called Sybil.

On an impulse Sarah decides to go to America using Roma's passport and changes her hair color to blonde. She feels bad for leaving the hospital, and though the staff meant well and were friendly, she wanted to be free. Upon arriving in America she see's Roma's husband Andre on the plane and faints from the surprise/shock. Andre takes Sarah to Roma's (and his) home, and for the sake of Roma's ill grandfather (who has had a recent stroke) Andre persuades Sarah to pretend to be Roma for a while. The grandfather doesn't know that Roma has died and he is showing signs of improvement now that "Roma" is back home, but how long can Sarah keep up this farce? She hates deceiving the old man, but if it's helping him... And then there's Andre, handsome in a gloomy way---tall, pale, thin, blue eyes, dark curly hair.

I enjoyed this book. It had an interesting cast of characters, including Roma's greedy step-mother Clara and her son James, who were eager for the "fortune" and the family home they were denied when Clara's husband died and everything went to Roma, who (because Sarah is pretending to be Roma) they believe is still alive. This book had a nice gothic setting (a house by the sea), mystery, secrets, and it was told in the first person POV (point-of-view). The storyline drew me in. This was a really good read.… (mehr)