The Road Before Us by Janine Rosche is a journey - both a literal road trip along famous Route 66 and an emotional journey for its characters. And such a unique group of complex and flawed characters it is:
Jade: a financial planner whose fiancé /colleague stole millions from their clients in a Ponzi scheme
Berenice (âBennyâ): 50+ years ago she starred in movies, now she's a senior citizen whose wealth was robbed by Jade's fiancé
Bridger: Benny's adult foster son who's filming a documentary recreating her 1956 trip on âthe Mother Roadâ when she fell in love with her recently deceased husband Paul.
In the first chapter, the author drops readers into the midst of the story so it took me a bit to get my bearings, but once I did, I enjoyed traveling alongside Jade, Benny, and Bridger in this dual-timeline novel. I've heard Route 66 referenced through the years but wasn't familiar with individual stops, and I felt like I was driving from city to city with Jade, Benny, and Bridger as they listened to Benny's memories and made new ones, not all pleasant, of their own.
This story has several subplots, most of which feature serious issues; yet the author's sense of humor shines through from time to time to relieve the tension. It's such a powerful illustration of the power of forgiveness.
Thank you to Revell and Uplit Reads for the complimentary copies of this novel; all opinions are my own.
Jade: a financial planner whose fiancé /colleague stole millions from their clients in a Ponzi scheme
Berenice (âBennyâ): 50+ years ago she starred in movies, now she's a senior citizen whose wealth was robbed by Jade's fiancé
Bridger: Benny's adult foster son who's filming a documentary recreating her 1956 trip on âthe Mother Roadâ when she fell in love with her recently deceased husband Paul.
In the first chapter, the author drops readers into the midst of the story so it took me a bit to get my bearings, but once I did, I enjoyed traveling alongside Jade, Benny, and Bridger in this dual-timeline novel. I've heard Route 66 referenced through the years but wasn't familiar with individual stops, and I felt like I was driving from city to city with Jade, Benny, and Bridger as they listened to Benny's memories and made new ones, not all pleasant, of their own.
This story has several subplots, most of which feature serious issues; yet the author's sense of humor shines through from time to time to relieve the tension. It's such a powerful illustration of the power of forgiveness.
Thank you to Revell and Uplit Reads for the complimentary copies of this novel; all opinions are my own.
