Kristina Riggle

The Whole Golden World means to shock, but more importantly it means to open up dialogue about maturity, the age of consent, the responsibility of adults versus of children, the meaning of love, and so much more. Can a teenager really be wiser than her years? Where is that line between age of majority and age of maturity? In cases of underage sexual exploitation, does the fault always lie with the adult? Should it? Ms. Riggle raises all of these questions and more as her story of Morgan’s show more and TJ’s relationship unfolds in all of its messy, complicated drama.

Ms. Riggle brilliantly captures the black-and-white labels the public immediately put on all parties involved in such scandals but more importantly the fact that any situation involving teenagers is not necessarily as clear-cut as the public wants it to be. The truly fascinating part of the story is the fact that had TJ been someone other than Morgan’s teacher, their relationship would have been completely legal in the state of Michigan. This point takes a complicated situation and makes it even more convoluted. Why is one type of relationship allowed and not the other? Does a teaching position really make one more responsible for exploitation? Regardless of how one feels about the scenario, such questions not only increase one’s interest in the book but also force readers to reevaluate the laws established to protect our children.

A reader’s sympathy veers widely from one character to another as the story unfolds. Rain’s preoccupation with having children explains TJ’s wandering eye, even if it does not necessarily excuse his actions. Dinah is such a ferocious mother bear that it is no wonder Morgan finally rebels. Readers will also waffle back and forth as to the guilty party. Is it TJ because of his marriage and his age? Is it Morgan because she is the instigator? Does it even matter? Is it even fair to place the blame on one individual’s shoulders? There are just so many questions that a reader has to answer based on his or her own beliefs and interpretation of the story, but therein lays its greatness.

Ms. Riggle’s latest novel takes a taboo scenario and flays it open to show the impossibility of discerning the guilt, innocence or even truth. There are few direct answers to the plethora of questions raised, but readers will not mind the chance for self-reflection and reevaluation of a forbidden relationship. That combined with excellent pacing, well-rounded characters, and a titillating plot make The Whole Golden World truly brilliant. show less

The Whole Golden World by Kristina Riggle opens up with a trial in progress and a family in crisis/conflict, so we know right from the start that something untoward is going to happen in the small town of Arbor Valley, Michigan. After a series of rejections, high school senior Morgan Monetti turns to her married calculus teacher, T.J. Hill, for support. She believes she is mature enough to have an affair with him. Morgan is sure that it is love. She believes his wife, Rain, doesn't show more understand him.

Morgan's mother, Dinah, is already overwhelmed raising her younger special needs twin teenage sons and running a coffee shop near the school. Her husband, and Morgan's father, is an assistant principal at the high school and is emotionally distant and often absent, leaving everything to Dinah. In the past Dinah has treated Morgan as if she is older than her years. After the arrest of T.J. and the truth comes out about Morgan and T.J. Dinah's world is feeling even more embattled than it already felt. As the trial begins, the Monetti family faces a backlash of cruel gossip and graffiti from the popular opinion of the community.

Rain, the wife of T.J., has been going through fertility treatments, trying to get pregnant. She assumes that T.J.'s story - that any affair was all in Morgan's head - is true and she stands by him, supporting him. We learn what really happened, as well as more about T.J. Hill.

The story slowly unfolds through the eyes of these three female characters. After the opening when the trial has started, the novel jumps back in time so we understand what was going on before the current events came to light. Riggle does an excellent job opening up the inner thoughts of her female leads to our scrutiny as they go through their daily lives handling the stress around them. All of them feel like real people, with strengths and flaws, but ultimately women who are trying to do what is right and what they believe.

I sort of wanted to see T.J. skewered and thrown over a BBQ pit. That part, having to read about a married adult having an affair with a teenage girl just really ticked me off. Yes, lots of people think a seventeen year old is old enough to know better. But, come on. Isn't a 29/30 year old man old enough to really know better and should have the ability to say no to the initiation of any intimate contact? Why is the teen girl thrown out as a Lolita when the freakin' adult male is right there too? Sheesh. (Recent items in the news just make me want to yell about this even more.) T.J. acted like a spoiled brat who couldn't understand why he should be held up to any higher standard.

Obviously, The Whole Golden World really captured my attention as I anxiously read to the end. It is always an easy book to read. People do make bad choices. But there are also plenty of people who like to cast blame on others and not themselves. Taking personal responsibility for your actions is one of the signs of a healthy adult. Mistakes happen. Taking responsibility for your part in them and not making or allowing any excuses to be made is mature. But, more importantly, understanding the role and power that a position of authority naturally has over anyone in a subordinate position is key.

I'm now going to look up Riggles previous book, Real Life & Liars, and plan to read it sometime soon. If an author can capture my attention, hold it, and get me all worked up over her book, then I think she did a great job, don't you?

Very Highly Recommended


Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from the publisher on Edelweiss for review purposes for TLC. show less

We've all seen accounts of sexual relationships between teachers and underage students on the news. The coverage tends to focus on the lurid details. So what is refreshing about this novel is that it is told from a more human point of view. We get a full background of both sides. Learning what caused them to commit the actions they did or did not do. We also get emotional accounts of how the family members are affected by the events. Where this novel disappointed me was in the very neat and show more very tidy ending. Just didn't seem real to me. show less

This is an intriguing subject, and the author does a good job of presenting it in such a way that it seems as though the affair “just happened” - that it wasn’t planned, that no one was guilty of deception or manipulation, that no one was neglectful or uncaring. But as the story progresses, being told from three different characters, the reader sees the various characters’ flaws that led to the affair between a teenager and her married teacher. As their worlds crumble, no one seems show more to come out whole – not Morgan, not T. J., and not Rain. And yet, some find inner strength in an impossible situation to rally and survive. And all are forced to face a reality not none had envisioned. Someone must take the blame; someone must be held accountable. Or do they all share in the guilt? A fascinating tale, well-imagined and well-told. show less