“Tina wondered how long it had taken Lockie to give up on his parents. How long had he shouted and screamed and… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“And then to win the prize had been incredible. She felt like she was being seen, actually being seen, for the first… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“If the clean man was not the boy’s father and if he had taken him, Tina knew that someone must be looking… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Tina and her mother were in the process of healing; they had to heal and soon they would be healed. But Tina… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Tina dropped her eyes. She hated this feeling. She wished she could tell the woman that her life hadn’t always been governed… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Being a mother was all-consuming. There were so many mistakes you could make, so many ways to lose a child. The whole… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“You know, Lockie,’ she said aloud. ‘What?’ ‘The thing about parents is . . . the thing about good parents — and… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“There was a man in the garden with the little girl. He was turning over the soil in a garden bed. He… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“But when they couldn’t find Lockie she had to slip back into mother mode. There were days when mother mode pulled her… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“The uniform said they didn’t want me anymore,’ interrupted Lockie. Tina could hear some anger underneath his faltering words. ‘He said they… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“He said I was a dirty boy,’ whispered Lockie. ‘I was a dirty boy and that was why he did stuff to me, because… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“And then to win the prize had been incredible. She felt like she was being seen, actually being seen, for the first time in… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Tina thought about the idea of how much a person could take. People only survived because they turned the real into the surreal. If… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Lockie got lost.’ ‘Yeah, he did.’ ‘But you found him.’ ‘I think we kind of found each other.” — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Tina wondered how long it had taken Lockie to give up on his parents. How long had he shouted and screamed and hoped for… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“The police up in the city had endless files filled with people who were so malevolent it was almost impossible to believe they were… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Tina and her mother were in the process of healing; they had to heal and soon they would be healed. But Tina knew that… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Tina knew she could have taken the man a tree that grew its own money and he would say, ‘Not much call for money… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Sarah put the man and the other dead children out of her head. Later, perhaps, she would watch Lockie out in the garden and… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“That’s what Lockie was—a little boy.It could do your head in if you thought too much about the cruelty that one person could inflict… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“She could not remember the casual Sarah who needed her morning latte before she did anything else. She had willingly given that Sarah up,… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
“Kids didn’t just disappear unless someone made them disappear.‘Relax, mate,’ the head of security said. ‘We’ve never lost one yet.’ Lots of kids wandered… — Nicole Trope Copy Share Image
