This Vital Absence

By Sophia Veltfort A woman looking for her father, an anonymous sperm donor, believes she’s found him in a disgraced anesthesiologist who denies paternity but with whom she becomes increasingly entangled. Publication Date: November 10, 2026 Paperback ISBN: 9781646054480eBook ISBN: 9781646054497 Description All her life, Sylvia has wanted to know her father. As the daughter of two mothers, all she knows of her biological father is that he’s an anonymous sperm donor. When she moves back to New York City following a postgraduate scholarship in the UK, a dossier from her moms gives her a new lead: Dean, a disgraced anesthesiologist who may bear some responsibility in the death of a pop star. At the same time, Sylvia meets Molly, a woman with her own family mysteries, with whom Sylvia makes a deal: They will help each other in the search for each other’s biological families. As Sylvia and Dean get to know each other over Facebook messages and then in person, they ask more of each other in a