Author: David Klein
Publication Date: June 5, 2012
From Goodreads:
Lured by the hope of a better life for herself and her son, Celeste Vanek must deal with the emotional and physical resistance of her compulsive gambler husband when she asks for a divorce. Though she hopes she is on the verge of making a clean break, her husband demands his family back, and things get
violent. Jake Atwood, who witnesses the shocking scene between Celeste and her husband, struggles with his own emotional and ethical issues while attempting to help Celeste escape her marriage. At the same time, Jake is involved with Sara, a
married and childless police detective who has a private agenda to pursue when a crime is committed that links all of these characters together and changes their lives forever.
My Thoughts:
I'm going to jump right into my thoughts on this one because I know that if I say too much about the plot I will give it away. Just about all I can tell you is already said in the synopsis. So I'm just going to go ahead and tell you what I liked or didn't like.
I'll admit that the story started out a little slow for me. I like a lot of dialogue and there was little at the beginning. I wasn't sure how this was to affect me in the long run but it did pick up after a short time and I really got sucked into this book. The relationship between Celeste and Adam is very difficult. He is an abusive gambler trying to go straight and Celeste is trying to keep her and her son, Spencer, safe by moving out. Adam, however, insists that she take him back and grows even more frightening by the day. At first, I felt a little sorry for Adam. I thought maybe Celeste could have helped him some more but as the story progressed and Adam's true colors began to show, I was increasingly worried for her. She is a strong woman and loves her son deeply. I admired her for the fact that as soon as things got bad, she left. She isn't one of those women who stays and lets her spouse beat her and her children. She took action immediately, something that I think more women should do. I really liked her and I was completely on her side throughout the rest of the book.
Aside from Adam and Celeste's relationship, we also see Jake and Sara. Jake is a bachelor who bounces around and seems to have a fear of commitment. He meets Sara, who is married, and they begin an affair. Although I didn't particularly care for Sara, I really loved Jake. Although he was struggling with some of his own issues, he knew they were there and I think he really tried his best to conquer them.
What I liked most about this book was the author's writing style. Since there are a few main characters, the story is not told in first person and we get to hear from everyone. We can watch their interactions with one another and hear each of their thoughts at the same time. This really made a difference when it came to Adam. He may have been saying one thing, but he was definitely thinking another. The author does an exceptional job at keeping you glued to the pages and wanting to drink in every last detail.
Overall, this was an excellent book. A lot of times I find it hard to connect with a female character that has been written by a male author, but this was far from the case here. The story was fascinating and the relationship between Celeste and Adam was like a train wreck: you know where it's going and that nothing good is going to come of it but you can't help but stay the course and watch it implode. The characters in this story were so believable. They could be you or me or our neighbors next door. Things like this happen every day and this gave the story a human quality to it.
If you are looking for a deeper read with some edge to it, this is the book for you!
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