Standing Still

Journalist and suburban mom Claire Cooper suffers from panic disorder. Most of

her anxieties seem irrational, nothing that can't be fixed with the help of

some Xanax. But late one stormy summer night, when her husband, Sam, is away

on one of his frequent business trips, Claire's fears come to life. She

discovers an intruder has broken into her young daughter's bedroom. She

watches helplessly as he picks up her sleeping child from her bed. Desperate

to protect her family, Claire puts herself in the line of fire and utters the

plea that will undo her: "Take me instead."

As she drives away in the kidnapper's car, Claire fears for her children, but

not for herself. And she can't help noticing the reversal in her marriage --

for the first time in ten years, Sam will not know where she is.

For the next week, Claire is tied to a bed in a strange motel room, the

intruder her only com-panion. She is forced to lie still and contemplate the

reasons for this assault on her family. Is this just a random crime, or

something more sinister? Has the shadowy past that she tried so hard to leave

behind finally caught up with her? Day after day, she goes deeper into

herself, reevaluating her marriage and her role as a mother, and unburying the

source of her crippling anxiety. In seven days she will step out to the very

brink of her soul -- perhaps never to return.

A riveting debut novel that will appeal to fans of Sue Miller and Janet Fitch,

_Standing Still_ is a powerful exploration of the darker side of mother-hood

and marriage.