Emily Giffin has produced another winner with this one. Within the first few pages, I was hooked. The first character you're introduced to is Nina, and you quickly experience a range of emotions about her: envy, pity, familiarity, pity again, and then the unmistakeable feeling of foreboding that Giffin is so adept at creating. Nina has gone from well-off, to "obscenely" wealthy; from happily married, to a confusing, unromantic marriage; from involved mother, to disconnected bystander of her son's life.
Next, we meet single dad Tom, and his daughter Lyla. Their relationship is so real and raw and completely believable. You get the feeling that you're peering in to someone's life, rather than reading a story. You know these people, if you're not one of them yourself. The dad that works himself to the bone to get by; he worries about his daughter but doesn't know how to stay close to her without pushing her away; he's proud and concerned, tired and loving. The daughter that studies hard to stay at a good school with a good scholarship; she struggles to keep up with the social scene; she deceives her father, but doesn't tell lies that will hurt anyone; she makes mistakes, but is wise enough to surround herself with people that truly care about her and can help her cope with those mistakes.
You also quickly realize the subject of the book is going to be about suicide. Nina volunteers at a suicide hotline, and donates money to suicide prevention organizations. A brief mention of a suicide at her son's school makes you realize that this is more than just philanthropy, this is something that actually matters to her.
By choosing to focus on suicide, Giffin is creating a dialog that is so appropriate and so necessary, yet her writing makes it easily approachable. The writing style flows easily, with natural dialog and first-person narration. Within the first half-page, I was drawn in, ready to learn more about this intriguing character. The chapters alternate narrators, and end with enough suspense (or dread) to have you racing to figure out what's going to happen to them next. I know this book is going to hit me hard, and I can't wait to read the rest of it!
Next, we meet single dad Tom, and his daughter Lyla. Their relationship is so real and raw and completely believable. You get the feeling that you're peering in to someone's life, rather than reading a story. You know these people, if you're not one of them yourself. The dad that works himself to the bone to get by; he worries about his daughter but doesn't know how to stay close to her without pushing her away; he's proud and concerned, tired and loving. The daughter that studies hard to stay at a good school with a good scholarship; she struggles to keep up with the social scene; she deceives her father, but doesn't tell lies that will hurt anyone; she makes mistakes, but is wise enough to surround herself with people that truly care about her and can help her cope with those mistakes.
You also quickly realize the subject of the book is going to be about suicide. Nina volunteers at a suicide hotline, and donates money to suicide prevention organizations. A brief mention of a suicide at her son's school makes you realize that this is more than just philanthropy, this is something that actually matters to her.
By choosing to focus on suicide, Giffin is creating a dialog that is so appropriate and so necessary, yet her writing makes it easily approachable. The writing style flows easily, with natural dialog and first-person narration. Within the first half-page, I was drawn in, ready to learn more about this intriguing character. The chapters alternate narrators, and end with enough suspense (or dread) to have you racing to figure out what's going to happen to them next. I know this book is going to hit me hard, and I can't wait to read the rest of it!