Once Upon a River -- Diane Setterfield

<b>From the instant #1<i> New York Times</i> bestselling author of the "eerie and fascinating" (<i>USA TODAY</i>) <i>The Thirteenth Tale </i>comes a "swift and entrancing, profound and beautiful" (Madeline Miller, internationally bestselling author of <i>Circe</i>) novel about how we explain the world to ourselves, ourselves to others, and the meaning of our lives in a universe that remains impenetrably mysterious.</b> <p/>On a dark midwinter's night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed. <p/>Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless. <p/>Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother <i>knows</i> the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son's secret liaison stand ready to welcome their granddau