{"product_id":"on-chapel-sands-the-mystery-of-my-mothers-disappearance-as-a-child-9781501198724","title":"On Chapel Sands: The Mystery of My Mother's Disappearance as a Child","description":"\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eNOMINATED FOR THE 2019 NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FOR AUTOBIOGRAPHY\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eONE OF NPR'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NONFICTION\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE RATHBONES FOLIO PRIZE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003eLONGLISTED FOR THE RSL ONDAATJE PRIZE\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe acclaimed \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Vanishing Velazquez \u003c\/i\u003eshares a riveting true story \"with as many twists and turns as any mystery\" (\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e) describing her mother's mysterious kidnapping as a toddler in a small English coastal village--\"an incredible and incredibly unusual book about family secrets\" (Nick Hornby, \u003ci\u003eThe Believer\u003c\/i\u003e).\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn the fall of 1929, when Laura Cumming's mother was three years old, she was kidnapped from a beach on the Lincolnshire coast of England. There were no screams when she was taken, suggesting the culprit was someone familiar to her, and when she turned up again in a nearby village several days later, she was happy and in perfect health. No one was ever accused of a crime. The incident quickly faded from her memory, and her parents never discussed it. To the contrary, they deliberately hid it from her, and she did not learn of it for half a century. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThis was not the only secret her parents kept from her. For many years, while raising her in draconian isolation and protectiveness, they also hid the fact that she'd been adopted, and that shortly after the kidnapping, her name was changed from Grace to Betty. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Both page-turning and richly absorbing\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Providence Journal\u003c\/i\u003e), \u003ci\u003eOn Chapel Sands \u003c\/i\u003e(originally titled \u003ci\u003eFive Days Gone\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eunspools the tale of Cumming's mother's life and unravels the multiple mysteries at its core. Using photographs from the time, historical documents, and works of art, Cumming investigates this case of stolen identity w​ith the toolset of a detective and the unique intimacy of a daughter trying to understand her family's past and its legacies. \"Brilliant\" (\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e) and \"a story told with such depth of feeling and observation and such lyrical writing I couldn't put it down\" (Anna Quindlen), \u003ci\u003eOn Chapel Sands\u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eis a masterful blend of memoir and history, an extraordinary personal narrative unlike any other.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Scribner Book Company\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 02\/02\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781501198724\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 320","brand":"Laura Cumming","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":38213392335029,"sku":"9781501198724","price":15.3,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_9b3139c5-c899-4c63-bd69-2e1562d2b61a.jpg?v=1610440622","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/on-chapel-sands-the-mystery-of-my-mothers-disappearance-as-a-child-9781501198724","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}