4.0 out of 5 stars
"Some people are defined by what they're looking for. Others by what they're hiding."
Typically I don't care for a book with an
ambiguous ending; I feel frustrated that there is no conclusion and no
logical completion of a story arc. In the case of this book, however, I
found it to be perfect.
Three women, seemingly unconnected, are searching for a sense of love and belonging. Their poignant stories of longing and a sense of "aloneness" streams across their collective consciousness. The narrative is told in the alternating viewpoints of Olivia (Livvi), Micah, and AnnaLee from 1986 to present day. The main theme of the book is love -- in all its forms -- the love that exists (or doesn't) between family members, between a man and a woman, and between mother and child. Throughout the perspectives of each is this sense of foreboding as the reader feels that there is a sinister hidden truth in their stories that will propel the women to a cataclysmic revelation.
Livvi is a writer who felt unloved and unwanted by her father and stepmother and who finally meets the man who can give her everything she's missed -- or can he? Micah, a famous photographer, is dealing with a death sentence in the face of a cancer diagnosis but her internal demons ask if she should bother to try to save herself because of a horrendous crime she committed years ago. AnnaLee, who was forced to give up her dreams when a horrific accident destroyed her ability to dance, is married to a man who has intellect but no courage -- can she help him be the man he needs to be to save her and their child? Each story is heartbreaking in its earnestness and each woman feels the pain of the circumstances that ultimately bring them together in a fascinating tale of sorrow and loss. The reader is drawn to each woman in this deftly drawn tale where there are more questions than answers. Why and how are they affected by the photograph of the woman in the silver dress and the pearl-button shoes?
I loved the story. It is a very fast-paced novel with characters that tug at heartstrings without feeling melodramatic or manipulated. This novel would provide great topics for a book club discussion and I recommend it!
Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the e-book ARC to review.
Three women, seemingly unconnected, are searching for a sense of love and belonging. Their poignant stories of longing and a sense of "aloneness" streams across their collective consciousness. The narrative is told in the alternating viewpoints of Olivia (Livvi), Micah, and AnnaLee from 1986 to present day. The main theme of the book is love -- in all its forms -- the love that exists (or doesn't) between family members, between a man and a woman, and between mother and child. Throughout the perspectives of each is this sense of foreboding as the reader feels that there is a sinister hidden truth in their stories that will propel the women to a cataclysmic revelation.
Livvi is a writer who felt unloved and unwanted by her father and stepmother and who finally meets the man who can give her everything she's missed -- or can he? Micah, a famous photographer, is dealing with a death sentence in the face of a cancer diagnosis but her internal demons ask if she should bother to try to save herself because of a horrendous crime she committed years ago. AnnaLee, who was forced to give up her dreams when a horrific accident destroyed her ability to dance, is married to a man who has intellect but no courage -- can she help him be the man he needs to be to save her and their child? Each story is heartbreaking in its earnestness and each woman feels the pain of the circumstances that ultimately bring them together in a fascinating tale of sorrow and loss. The reader is drawn to each woman in this deftly drawn tale where there are more questions than answers. Why and how are they affected by the photograph of the woman in the silver dress and the pearl-button shoes?
I loved the story. It is a very fast-paced novel with characters that tug at heartstrings without feeling melodramatic or manipulated. This novel would provide great topics for a book club discussion and I recommend it!
Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the e-book ARC to review.
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