How do you cope with the loss of a teenage daughter? When Josie Connelly is swept away during a family sailing trip off the coast of New England, her parents and younger brother must come to terms with their grief and learn to live with their guilt. With no body to bury, the desperate hope of the days and weeks immediately following the tragedy only serve to add to the family's anguish. And then, when it seems all hope is gone, The Colour of Hope charts the changing lives and relationships of the remaining members of the Connelly family. Josie's mum, Ruth, throws herself into her job at a prestigious Boston law firm where she works as a corporate lawyer. Unable to accept that she no longer has a daughter and haunted by the fact that, in the weeks before the accident, their relationship had deteriorated to a point where she had seen hatred in Josie's eyes, she refuses to mourn or let her husband or son express their despair. Inevitably, things can only get worse.

Susan Madison writes of the emotions and events that befall a grieving family with immense understanding. In the face of appalling tragedy, she manages to find courage in the most unexpected places. Before you even realise it, a new kind of hope emerges. This is a book that will move any reader, and maybe offer some kind of salutary warning to all parents. Having children is a privilege beyond compare; listen to them and love them unconditionally. --Carey Green