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Laura Nicole Diamond is the author of the critically acclaimed novel, Shelter Us. She is the editor of the anthology, Deliver Me: True Confessions of Motherhood, whose proceeds benefit non-profits helping women and children.
A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, and of UC Berkeley's School of Law, Laura is a civil rights lawyer. She is a native of Los Angeles, where she lives with her family.
Reviewed by Hilary Hawkes for Readers' Favorite
Shelter Us by Laura Nicole Diamond is the poignant and moving story of Sarah Shaw’s reaction and struggles in the heart-breaking aftermath of the death of her six-week-old daughter Ela. She had already, as a teenager, lost her mother and still blames her father for that. Sarah (from whose point of view the story is told) and her husband, Robert, are both qualified to work in law. While Sarah gives up her attorney career to care for their two little boys, Robert works long hours which distract him somewhat from some of the trauma of the couple’s shared grief. Sarah finds a curious and healing solace in befriending a young homeless mother called Josie and her toddler son Tyler. Against Robert’s advice, Sarah gets caught up in helping Josie and her family, and in the process revisits her past with a potentially damaging consequence for her marriage. However, Robert has a secret of his own which has been adding to the couple’s stress.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Shelter Us. Laura Nicole Diamond is a talented and brilliant author and this story contains such emotional depth. Her style and use of language, character and plot development is high standard. I especially love the way the main characters interact with each other – very realistic, very believable and the author has the reader connecting and empathizing with them as they grow and change. In addition, the depiction of the way Sarah and Robert relate to their two young boys is delightful and true to life. The story’s message is one of hope as well as an exploration of the heartache of such deep loss, and the gradual discovery and healing that enables people to find a strength and willingness to live again.
