By Emily Griffin
A chance encounter with an old flame in Giffin's bittersweet, sometimes mawkish fourth novel causes Ellen Dempsey to consider anew what could have been. Shortly after marrying Andy, Ellen runs into Leo, her intense first love. Leo, a moody writer, has secretly preoccupied Ellen ever since he broke her heart, so after seeing him again, Ellen wonders if her perfect life is truly what she wants or simply what she was expected to want. This scenario is complicated by Ellen's past: the early death of her mother and subsequent disintegration of her family have left Ellen insecure and saddled with unresolved feelings of guilt. These feelings intensify when Andy's career takes the newlyweds from Ellen's beloved New York City to suburban Atlanta. As Ellen's feelings of inadequacy and resentment grow, her marriage begins to crumble. The novel is sometimes bogged down by characters so rooted in type that they, and the story line, can only move in the most obvious trajectory. However, Giffin's self-aware narrator and focus on troubled relationships will satisfy those looking for a light women's lit fix.
I was disappointed with this book. Maybe it's was because I read through it too fast or because I am LDS or because I was looking for this book to resolve itself. Any way I look at it, I was concerned that she wasn't MORE sure of her husband...and her feelings for her ex don't really dissipate. It was a bit frustrating! If any of you have read, please let me know what you thought. Let me know if I have missed something!! I have read all of Emily Griffin's novels and have enjoyed most/all of them, but this one didn't make it on that list.
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