Synopsis: Fifteen years ago, Susan Morrow left her first husband Edward Sheffield, an unpublished writer. Now, she's enduring middle class suburbia as a doctor's wife, when out of the blue she receives a package containing the manuscript of her ex-husband's first novel. He writes asking her to read the book; she was always his best critic, he says.
As Susan reads, she is drawn into the fictional life of Tony Hastings, a math professor driving his family to their summer house in Maine. And as we read with her, we too become lost in Sheffield's thriller. As the Hastings' ordinary, civilized lives are disastrously, violently sent off course, Susan is plunged back into the past, forced to confront the darkness that inhabits her, and driven to name the fear that gnaws at her future and will change her life.
Type: Fiction
Quick Take: This is a story inside a story. This is important to note because I'm coming to the conclusion that I may not enjoy this format.
To summarize quickly: Susan and Edward were married a long time ago, they haven't talked in years. Edward asks Susan to read his manuscript. This novel is about Susan reading Edward's manuscript while Arnold (her husband) is traveling. She spends some time reminiscing.
I didn't enjoy the manuscript but... the manuscript was 80% of the novel. I was more interested in the relationships between Susan, her husband Arnold and ex-husband Edward. Looking back, I wish the story started after Susan finished reading the manuscript, exploring why she agreed to read Edward's novel and the impact this had on her stale marriage. There's an interesting story in the pages, waiting to be exposed.
Rating: 2/5 stars
Source: Review Copy, NetGalley