Helpful Score: 6
This is a truly engrossing novel, one which I was at pains to put down. The characters are not just compelling - but the kind that make you want to seek them out. You want to see them in the world, and find them in their quiet moments. The story starts out seemingly the way many others have, the story of a failed marriage, a disappointed woman, a philandering man, and the child who suffers at the hands of their failure. But the story quickly evolves into something quite different, and you can't wait to find out what happens to these people.
Helpful Score: 3
This is a seriously creepy book, which seems to suggest that the cure for deep depression, agoraphobia, and early-pubertal ennui is to pick up an escaped convict at the local WalMart and take him home for a long weekend of passionate sex before the cops come and take him away. Ick. Just ick.
Helpful Score: 1
This is a lovely book with a trio of characters that will eventually lodge in your heart. The words "if only" kept recurring to me as the book progressed, especially when my initial suspicion of the escaped convict changed to respect. I loved the gentle ending, which I read through my tears. I will remember the message conveyed in this book, and surely that is the reason we read.
