Randy Susan Meyers

I have to be honest, this is a tough book to read. Not because the writing isn't great (it is!) but it is the subject: a marriage that could have gone so right, instead has gone so wrong due to a violent temper.

Two people (Maddy and Ben) love each other, yet Ben's inability to control his temper over the years has worn thin the threads of what could've been a strong marriage. When a car accident puts Maddy in a position of fighting for her life, she also finds herself wondering if she has the strength to fight for her marriage that has been an endless walking-on-eggshells strain for years.

I've read all of this author's books, and her background knowledge and research in domestic violence helps bring this (tragic) story to life.… (more)

There was a LOT going on in this book, and I think it would have been more compelling if it had focused in on one or two pieces. The various mother/daughter, husband/wife, mother/daughter relations; Alice's work at the community center; the program itself; the racial dynamics; the cosmetology work; the documentary; the drugs... It was just all a lot, and I think the breadth meant that the author didn't dive as deep or create as strong plotlines as she could have. The creation of the documentary at the end felt especially rushed, and I wanted more about the reaction to it.… (more)