Book Reviews: In the Unlikely Event, The Silent Wife and I Let You Go

I am living a life’s dream come true 🙂 … Still loving the online public library and ease of use through my Kindle.  Thanks to technology, I am reading for pleasure every single day.  Plus it is FREE and I am a cheap skate even when it comes to books … which are GOLD.  I rarely re-read and therefore cannot see the investment – even of cheap paperbacks and of course then there is the storage aka clutter.  I have a strong dislike for clutter.  Read further at your own risk.  No spoilers really but as with any work of art, judge for yourself.  I don’t want my opinion to sway yours and that can happen even if accidentally.

Here are my rainy day thoughts about these three recently read novels:

First, In the Unlikely Event none other than Judy Blume writes about real events with a fictional twist.  This would be described as VERY loosely based on real events.  Let’s  just say I never want to fly in to Newark NJ.  There is a litany of characters ultimately too many to keep track of though Miri and her family held the most interest for me.  Set in the 1950s through present day, this close-knit community could be any town USA.  Or Peyyton Place …

Second, The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison reads in alternating scenes – him, her back and forth.  A psychological thriller but not really a “who done it” because that you know from the start.  The characters are not too sympathetic, deeply flawed and only one gets what he truly deserves … if anyone really deserves anything that is … The author wrote this debut novel at age 65 and was in the process of writing the second when she passed away.  That fact is almost more interesting than the story.  Gives hope and brings truth to the saying that it is NEVER TOO LATE!

Third, I Let You Go by Claire Mackintosh reminds me of Sleeping with the Enemy by Nancy Price and the movie of the same title starring Julia Roberts and Patrick Bergman.  Not identical but some key concepts – hiding from abusive spouse and finding love with another.  Two twists save the story in my opinion.  Read it and see if you agree.