review: after anna by lisa scottoline

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After being institutionalized for post-partum psychosis, Maggie's husband divorced her and took their infant daughter to France. Although Maggie tried to get custody of Anna upon regaining her health, her only contact was unanswered letters and a few glimpses on social media until one Easter when Maggie gets a phone call. It's an amazing setup for a plot, but After Anna is filled with implausibility. One small example is Noah renting a house immediately after Maggie tells him to leave their home. It's necessary for the plot, but doesn't make sense in reality. The book concludes with an unbelievable development that would never happen given the way the legal system works. There are other details that are strange too like the adults being obsessed with Anna using a Maine driver's license to drive in Pennsylvania. Furthermore, there's a lot of repetition with long courtroom testimony and the Before/After chapters going over the same details just from different perspectives.
2/5
Review copy provided by the publisher, St. Martin's Press.