Black and Blue : A Novel

For eighteen years, Fran Benedetto kept her secret. And hid her bruises. And stayed with Bobby because she wanted her son to have a father. And because, in spite of everything, she loved him. Then one night, when she saw the look on her ten-year-old son's face, Fran finally made a choice--and ran for both their lives.-- Now she is starting over in a city far from home, far from Bobby. And in this place she uses a name that isn't hers, and cradles her son in her arms, and tries to forget. For the woman who now calls herself Beth, every day is a chance to heal, to put together the pieces of her shattered self. And every day she waits for Bobby to catch up to her. Because Bobby always said he would never let her go. And despite the flawlessness of her escape, Fran Benedetto is certain of one thing: It is only a matter of time.--

Anna Quindlen is the author of two bestselling novels, <b>Object Lessons</b> and <b>One True Thing</b>. Her <b>New York Times</b> column "Public & Private" won a Pulitzer Prize in 1992, and a selection of these columns was published as <b>Thinking Out Loud</b>. She is also the author of  a collection of her "Life in the 30's" columns, <b>Living Out Loud</b>, and two children's books, <b>The Tree That Came to Stay</b> and <b>Happily Ever After</b>.