I must say up front that I found Love and Other Natural Disasters by Holly Shumas difficult to read. It definitely wasn’t the writing- that was modern and current in ways that made it feel more like a conversation or a series of posts by an earnest and introspective blogger. Added to that, I certainly felt a connection to the characters in the sense that I could imagine my family hanging out with theirs at a summer barbecue, amusing ourselves with chatter while our children played together nearby. What made it challenging to read was the heartache I felt as the seemingly average and normal marriage between Eve and Jon began to crumble right in front of my reading eyes. The main story to be told here hinges on the revealing of an affair.
The images conjured up by that statement are most likely quite different than the events in this novel, as it is quickly understood that there was no physical intimacy involved, simply what a psychologist would refer to as an ‘emotional affair.’ Eve finds herself wondering what path to take as she attempts to sort through the deception and betrayal she feels, even if not everyone around her perceives the infidelity in the same light, and I should mention that she’s also eight months pregnant with her second child at this point. The reader is simply invited to follow along as Eve forges through her own emotions in trying to find the best answer for her, her marriage and her family.
While I fully admit to being an overly emotional person, I still have to say that I am probably not the only reader who found herself shedding a few tears for the sorrow and pain the characters wade through on these pages. While this book may not be for the faint of heart, I found it to be a compelling look into the depths of one marriage, and complex enough that I never found myself routing completely for either reconciliation or dissolution of the marriage.
Dawn is most likely holding a book in her hands this very moment. She can be found blogging away at my thoughts exactly.
Isn’t that just the way life is? Rarely a clear-cut easy solution?
I find myself avoiding books about certain topics these days. I didn’t used to, and I’m sure I won’t always, and I don’t mind sad books — but certain topics are harder than others.
I thought that this one was a difficult emotional read as well, but like you said, it’s not the writing, it’s the subject matter.
I have been wanting to read this book.
I finished reading this book last month. I actually had the opportunity to interview the author BEFORE I read it, which was interesting.
This book was a challenge to read because I was an observer between two people I knew well who were dealing with the same issue. The husband had begun an emotional affair.
I found myself wanting to shake them both during the scenes with the therapist. Granted, they each are going through something terribly emotional (and I can’t imagine dealing with it with pregnancy hormones to boot!) and yet being an outsider looking in, I just wanted to shake them both and say, “Hey will you LISTEN to what the other is SAYING here?!”
I’m planning on suggesting this to my book club, because I think it would spark some interesting discussion.
I completely agree, this was a difficult book to read – but in the end, I did like it.