Lost Child

Torey Hayden returns with her first new book in nearly fifteen years, a memoir about a ten-year-old girl in a Welsh residential home. Her parents have stopped trying to care for her because of her aggression, and at that age she faces the real possibility of disappearing into the foster care system.

Jessie is clever and forceful, and she firmly believes the devil has taken up residence inside her, pushing her toward violence. When Hayden, a therapist, is brought in, Jessie has no interest in cooperating. Hayden begins meeting with her once a week, relying on patience, compassion and steady affection to earn Jessie's trust.

The work becomes far more complicated when Jessie accuses a colleague whom Hayden has trusted of serious wrongdoing. Hayden must now untangle the roots of Jessie's difficulties while also determining whether the accusation holds up.

The book examines childhood trauma, attachment problems and the shortcomings of institutional care. It is a personal account of one therapist's effort to reach a child that others had given up on.