The Betrayals

The Betrayals by Fiona Neill     390 pages

Told through the perspectives of four members of the same family, this story explores the aftermath of an affair.  When Rosie's best friend has an affair with her husband, the consequences impact both families, even years afterwards.  Rosie's daughter Daisy, always fragile, has moved on with her life until a letter arrives (addressed to Rosie but opened by Daisy first) that opens up all of the old wounds of the affair. The question is: what actually happened that summer between Rosie's husband and her best friend?

I wasn't sure I was going to enjoy this book but the more I got into it, the more engrossed I became. I liked that there were the four different perspectives because each one had a different take on the affair. Daisy has OCD (not really a spoiler) and so I found her perspective particularly interesting because while I have read about OCD, it's different to read someone's first-hand account of how they view the world. What's also interesting about this story is that it's hard to tell what actually happened between the two adults the one summer (the summer of the affair) because you assume the one character is telling the complete truth . . . until you start to doubt that.  Not a happy story, but an interesting one. 

Rosie Effect

The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
304 Pages


In the book the Rosie Project, Don Tillman ended up marrying Rosie and the couple moved to New York to start a new life together.  Don is adapting quite well to life with Rosie when she announces that she  is pregnant.  Suddenly Don must revamp all of his expectations and negotiate a minefield of new situations and emotions he doesn't quite understand.  A series of misunderstandings leads to what could be the end of the relationship between Don and Rosie.

While I enjoyed the book I didn't think it was quite as good as the first novel by Simsion.  Mainly I felt this way because I though Rosie should know Don's quirks and manners by now and not become so bent out of shape by his actions. 

The Promise

The Promise by Ann Weisgarber
320 Pages

 The book opens in October 1899 with the death of Oscar William's wife.  She extracts a promise from Nan Ogden to look after her husband and child.  We move to August 1900 and Catherine Wainwright is in disgrace in Dayton, Ohio, having carried on an affair with her cousin's husband.  With limited choices she rekindles a relationship with Oscar and accepts his proposal via mail.  She travels to Galveston, Texas to get married and find a place in the Williams household.

What the reader knows (maybe) is that Galveston is going to be devastated by a hurricane which is described as the worst disaster to ever hit the United States with approximately 8,000 deaths.  In the book the disaster is not the main character but rather the delicate relationship between Oscar and Catherine is center stage as well as Catherine's relationship with Nan, who feels displaced.  Readers of historical fiction will most likely like this book.