Book Reviews: Covet by Tracey Garvis-Graves, The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty & The Paradise Guest House by Ellen Sussman.

A thoughtful, touching and timely tale from the author of the best-selling On the Island, Covet by Tracey Garvis-Graves examines the effects of redundancy and resulting long-term unemployment on a one-time golden couple.

When we meet Chris and Claire Canton, the worst is over – or so it would seem. After a year out of work, in which he struggled with self-image and depression, Chris has recently started a new job. The last year has been tough on Chris and Claire, and, as it stands, they are like strangers living in the same house. Their physical relationship is non-existent and the only common ground they seem to have these days is their kids. However, Claire is sure that with this new job, she’ll get the old Chris back. That’s easier said than done, though, especially since Chris’s job involves a lot of travel. In fact, these days he’s barely home at all leaving Claire with a lot of time and a lot of lonely nights on her hands.

Enter Daniel Rush – a cop with a past who just happens to be a whole lot of hot. When Daniel pulls Claire over during a routine traffic stop it signals the beginning of a connection that leads to a fun, flirty friendship and maybe something more. Claire is aware that she’s treading on dangerous ground and yet she can’t seem to resist Daniel. Will Claire cross the point of no return? Or will she remain true to her vows, even though lately it seems that Chris barely notices her at all?

Thanks to Garvis-Graves’ engaging style Covet is a compulsively readable tale, although the detail bestowed upon the routine happenings in Claire’s daily life may grate on readers who prefer a faster-paced read. Not so for me; I enjoyed reading about Claire’s life, her interactions with her neighbours, who incidentally, provided a great secondary cast here, and of course Claire’s torn emotions as she struggles with a marriage where all seems to be lost, and a connection that she knows is so much more than just a simple friendship; it’s an emotional affair that is teetering on the brink of something so much more. Covet deals with a topic that for many will be taboo, but with this book, just as with her first, Garvis-Graves’ is not out to shock with the dramatic or overblown, instead Covet considers what it takes to remain true to oneself and to others in the face of temptation. 

Covet by Tracey Garvis-Graves.  Publisher: Dutton Adult.  Released: September 2013. Ages: Adult.   Rating:  4 out of 5.   Source: Received from publisher for review.  

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‘My darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died…’

So reads the letter to Cecilia Fitzpatrick from her husband John-Paul, to be opened in the event of his death. Thing is, John-Paul is very much alive, and now that Cecilia has the letter in her hands, she’s itching to open it. Cecilia would never betray her husband’s trust, though, or his wishes, so for as long as John-Paul is alive, the letter stays unopened. That is, Cecilia has the best of intentions, but when she mentions the letter to John-Paul, he starts acting like he’s got something to hide, even returning from his business trip early so he can destroy the letter and find out the dark secret he’s been hiding for years.

But Cecilia gets to the letter first and the secret she finds will change her life and the lives of all those around her, forever…

Wickedly humorous despite its dark subject matter, The Husband’s Secretby Liane Moriarty explores the consequences and sometimes devastating effects of the secrets we keep from ourselves and from others. I will say that right from the start, I didn’t really connect with the characters in this book. Their situations and their lifestyles were such that I couldn’t really relate to them, and with characters ranging in age from early forties to late sixties, this one took me way out of my usual YA/NA/sometimes-I-push-it-to-late twenties/early thirties-reading-zone. That said, I think a lot of readers will really enjoy the sharp twists and turns offered in The Husband’s Secret. Moriarty is a great storyteller and I loved how the stories of three women intertwined in this book: There’s the afore-mentioned Cecilia, a pillar of the community who seems to have it all until she finds out that she’s pretty much been living a lie her whole married life; Tess, who has just discovered that her husband is having a (non-sexual-as-yet affair with her best friend, who is just so happens is also her cousin; and Rachel a school secretary who has suffered a devastating loss, and who is about to suffer another.

And what of the husband’s secret?  I figured out the truth of the title pretty early on, but what’s so interesting about this book, is not so much the secret itself, but the consequences of it. John-Paul’s secret has been years in his keeping, but once its out in the open it takes on a life of its own, and it’s safe to say there’s no going back to the life they once had for John-Paul, Cecilia, or many of those around them.

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty.  Publisher: Penguin.  Released: August 2013. Ages: Adult.   Rating:  3½ out of 5.   Source: Received from publisher for review.  

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Two haunted souls run from the past to find the future…

Twenty-something adrenalin-junkie adventure guide Jamie returns to Bali a year after the terrorist bombings that rocked the island and robbed her of her boyfriend, Miguel. One year on Jamie has returned to attend a remembrance ceremony and is seeking closure, but there’s something else on her mind too: she’s back in Bali to seek out the man who brought her to safety and nursed her back to health a year ago.  Though she still feels the loss of her boyfriend, Jamie felt a connection with this man, and now she wonders if the key to her future might lie in her past.

Gabe Winters, though, has other ideas.  When Jamie finally tracks him down with the help of a not-so-trusty young native and his dog, Gabe tells Jamie to go home. He doesn’t want to listen to what she has to say. Haunted by the ghosts of a tortured past, Gabe has closed his heart to happiness. And, yet, he can’t stop thinking about this woman who one year ago gave him hope and made him smile even in her darkest hour.

A short yet satisfying read, The Paradise Guest Houseexplores the impact that the terrorist bombings had not only on the individuals detailed in this book, but also on the island of Bali, its residents and its previously-booming tourism industry. The narrative switches from present to past and takes us back to the night of the bombings where we learn the true extent of Jamie’s grief and the guilt that haunts her every waking moment. Gabe, too, has suffered in his life. For him, Bali is his escape from reality, but in the aftermath of the bombings, he feels his paradise may be lost.

A tale of second chances and hope in the face of devastating loss, The Paradise Guest House may lack in detail at times, but there is something beautiful too in the simplicity of this latest book from French Lessons author Ellen Sussman.

 

The Paradise Guest House by Ellen Sussman.  Publisher: Corsair.  Released: March 2013. Ages: Adult.   Rating:  3½ out of 5.   Source: Received from publisher for review.  

Book Review & Giveaway: On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves.

Product details:
Publisher: Penguin.
Paperback, 368 pages.
Release date: August 16th 2012.
Rating: 4 out of 5.
Ages: Adult.
Source:  Received from publisher for review.

Anna Emerson is a thirty-year-old English teacher desperately in need of adventure. Worn down by the cold Chicago winters and a relationship that’s going nowhere, she jumps at the chance to spend the summer on a tropical island tutoring sixteen-year-old T.J.

T.J. Callahan has no desire to go anywhere. His cancer is in remission and he wants to get back to his normal life. But his parents are insisting he spend the summer in the Maldives catching up on all the school he missed last year.

Anna and T.J. board a private plane headed to the Callahan’s summer home, and as they fly over the Maldives’ twelve hundred islands, the unthinkable happens. Their plane crashes in shark-infested waters. They make it to shore, but soon discover that they’re stranded on an uninhabited island.

At first, their only thought is survival. But as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.’s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

A story of survival against all the odds, On the Island, the compulsively readable debut from Tracey Garvis Graves tells the story of Anna Emerson, a thirty year old teacher, and her student, sixteen year old T.J. Callahan. Following a plane crash, Anna and T.J. find themselves stranded on a desert island. They are sure that they will be rescued in a matter of hours, but it doesn’t happen. Days, weeks, months and years pass. Every day is a struggle against the elements, against illness, against hunger, thirst and decay. And there are other struggles, struggles of the heart, as Anna and T.J. remain stranded on the island, day after day, year after year, just the two of them. Together. Alone

Anna is at a crossroads in her life. She wants marriage and babies, but the guy she’s dedicated herself to, the guy she’s spent eight years with, won’t commit. He wants Anna, but beyond that, he doesn’t know what he wants. So, when Anna is offered a summer tutoring job in the Maldives, she jumps at the chance. This will give her the space she needs to decide where her life is going. And what could be better than a summer in paradise? T.J. Callahan is not so excited at the prospect of a whole summer spent catching up on assignments. He’s finally in remission from the Hodgkin’s Lymphoma that has so far plagued his life, and all he wants to do is hang out with his friends back home. He wants to let loose, to party, to hook up with hot girls.

We meet Anna and T.J as they embark on their trip to the Maldives, but they never make it that far, crash-landing somewhere in the Indian Ocean when the pilot of their seaplane suffers a heart attack. What follows is a compelling struggle for survival told in dual narrative, the viewpoint switching from Anna to T.J. with each chapter. I found myself reading late into the night as I got to know more about these two people, their hopes and dreams all fading away as they remained stranded on the island. If you think that reading about the daily lives of two people stuck on an uninhabited island sounds like it might be a little repetitive, then you’d be wrong. Anna and T.J encounter so many obstacles – from storms to sharks – in their daily lives. Every day is a struggle. Every day brings with it a new worry, a new threat. And then there is the constant worry that T.J.’s cancer might return. With him Anna can make it. But without him, she doesn’t know how she’d survive. And T.J. knows exactly how she feels, because he doesn’t know how he’d survive if she went first. As they share their fears with us, we worry for them. We put ourselves in their situation. We wonder about our own survival instincts. Would I make it on the island? Would you?

The subject matter of On the Island might raise a few eyebrows. If you’ve read the book, you’ll know that the relationship between Anna and T.J. is as touching and honest as it is passionate. But if you haven’t yet read it, then you’re probably thinking that it all sounds a little or maybe a lot taboo. I had read a couple reviews of this book before I read it, so I already knew that the author dealt with the growing attraction and subsequent relationship between Anna and T.J. in a responsible manner, but it’s handled with a great deal of it sensitivity too. Anna is a responsible adult, always aware that T.J is younger than her, always mindful of the boundaries between them, and never crossing lines that shouldn’t be crossed. T.J. has a quiet thoughtfulness about him. He’s more mature than a typical teenage guy.

T.J.’s been through a lot. He’s a survivor. He clings to life when it looks like all hope is gone. And he knows what’s truly important in life. He knows to never let go when you find the thing that makes you happy. This, he teaches Anna. I loved the characters that Garvis Graves created. I especially loved T.J. Both him and Anna are characters that readers will really warm to. T.J. and Anna were real and honest, true to themselves and to each other.

On the Island is a summer read with substance. It’s the perfect beach read, but there’s so much more to this book than some typical beach reads. On the Island will make you laugh and cry. It will make you think. This book has a heart. There is a lot of love within its pages, and sometimes, when all the odds are stacked against you, just like with Anna and T.J., all you need is love to get you through. 

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Guest Post: Tracey Garvis Graves - From Self-Publication to New York Times Best-Selling Sensation!

Today I have a great guest post from On the Island author Tracey Garvis Graves. Here you can find out all about Tracey's journey from self-published author to New York Times best-selling sensation. Big thanks to Tracey for taking the time to write this post - I really enjoyed reading it!

 On the Island by Tracey Garvis Graves
Publisher: Penguin.
Release date: August 16th 2012.
Ages: Adult.

Anna Emerson is a thirty-year-old English teacher desperately in need of adventure. Worn down by the cold Chicago winters and a relationship that’s going nowhere, she jumps at the chance to spend the summer on a tropical island tutoring sixteen-year-old T.J.

T.J. Callahan has no desire to go anywhere. His cancer is in remission and he wants to get back to his normal life. But his parents are insisting he spend the summer in the Maldives catching up on all the school he missed last year.

Anna and T.J. board a private plane headed to the Callahan’s summer home, and as they fly over the Maldives’ twelve hundred islands, the unthinkable happens. Their plane crashes in shark-infested waters. They make it to shore, but soon discover that they’re stranded on an uninhabited island.

At first, their only thought is survival. But as the days turn to weeks, and then months, the castaways encounter plenty of other obstacles, including violent tropical storms, the many dangers lurking in the sea, and the possibility that T.J.’s cancer could return. As T.J. celebrates yet another birthday on the island, Anna begins to wonder if the biggest challenge of all might be living with a boy who is gradually becoming a man.

Tracey Garvis Graves - From Self-Publication to New York Times Best-Selling Sensation:

Tracey Garvis Graves | Photo Credit: Ryan Towe

A year ago this month, I received the final form rejection for a book I’d written called On the Island. The agent wasn’t interested in seeing any part of the manuscript, and neither were the 13 other agents before him who had also passed on requesting the material. In hindsight, I was probably naïve in thinking that anyone would take a chance on a debut novel that didn’t fit neatly into a single genre and had, quite frankly, a somewhat risky storyline.

My initial goal had just been to write a full-length novel. It was a bucket list item, and there’s no better way to learn how to write a novel than to sit down and write one. During the 18 months it took to write On the Island (in a series of daily 5:00 a.m. writing sessions before I had to go to my day job), I fell in love with the characters and became wholly invested in them (as we writers tend to do). I was so excited about sharing the story with others. 

I researched agents, I stalked their Twitter feeds, and I read their blogs. I drew up a list of agents that represented the genres I thought were the best fit for my book. I agonized over my query letter, workshopping it on a writer’s forum and trading it back and forth with my critique partner until we got it just right. Then I pressed send on the first batch of 5 and held my breath. The rejections started pouring in a few short hours later. I tweaked my query letter and sent 5 more, and still the rejections arrived in my inbox. I was running out of agents. If the first 10 I’d identified as the best match didn’t want me, it didn’t bode well for what the rest of the querying process would be like. I sent the last 4 letters and received the final batch of rejections. I’m not going to lie; it was heartbreaking. But during this time, the people who had actually read the book (I announced on my blog that I would give an advance reader copy to anyone who wanted one) were e-mailing me to tell me how much they loved On the Island. They said they couldn’t put it down. It made them laugh and it made them cry. But I couldn’t get the people who needed to read it – the agents - to agree to do so. Sure, I could have continued querying – some have said I gave up too quickly – but there was a disconnect somewhere and I was pretty sure it wasn’t on my end. 

My husband and my critique partner urged me to consider self-publishing. I didn’t want to. I thought it meant that my book wasn’t good enough. That I’d failed as a writer. People looked down upon self-published authors and were quite vocal about everything they were doing wrong: bad covers, no editing, horrible plots with holes you could drive a truck through. I resisted. Finally, I decided that I had absolutely nothing to lose by self-publishing, and I wholeheartedly disagreed with the mindset that a writer who fails to gain agent representation must shove their novel in a drawer, never letting it see the light of day again.

So I hired an editor. And after that I hired a copyeditor and a digital formatter. I chose my cover art and a friend who is also a graphic designer applied the text. I spent weeks reading everything I could about self-publishing, and how to do it successfully. It took me approximately two months to complete all the necessary steps to prepare the manuscript for self-publishing and then I uploaded to Amazon, Barnes &Noble, and Smashwords. 

My husband searched for the book on Amazon a few hours later and we cheered when we discovered it had already gone live. Seeing my book available for purchase on various retailers’ sites that weekend was a wonderful feeling. 

Over the next 6 months I promoted On the Island. I released the paperback via CreateSpace a month after releasing the e-book, and I sent copies to bloggers and held a giveaway on Goodreads. I purchased sponsorships on Pixel of Ink and Kindle Nation Daily and each ad paid for itself (and then some). The book steadily sold more than it had the month before. Some amazing bloggers started shouting their love of the book from the rooftops, and I started smiling a lot. Words can’t even express the joy I felt when total strangers reached out to me to tell me how much they enjoyed the book. Amazon selected me for a promotion in March, and the visibility I gained did wonderful things for my sales. 

I received an e-mail from an agent who wanted to discuss representation. I was doing fine on my own, but I had started receiving a lot of interest from foreign publishers and I needed someone to facilitate the sales. I signed on with the agency for subsidiary rights and within a month I had several more foreign sales of On the Island (foreign rights have now been sold in eighteen countries, several of them in a pre-empt). Shortly after that, I had a film option offer from MGM which I gladly accepted. I can’t even tell you how thrilling that was. I also achieved a goal I never thought would be possible: On the Island made it onto the New York Times bestseller list where it would remain for 9 weeks, eventually reaching #5 in the e-book category. As a self-published author, I sold 370,000 copies of the book that no one wanted. 

It was at this time that I started to joke with people that I’d done everything backward. I now had an agent and I’d signed traditional publishing contracts in many different countries. I had several options for the next step in my writing career. Ultimately I received three offers from traditional publishers. I had two choices: I could stay self-published (which had worked out pretty well) or I could sign with a traditional publisher. I used the same method I always use when faced with a big decision: I got out a sheet of paper and made a list of the pros and cons for each option. Self-publishing is wonderful because the decisions are all mine to make and I can release a book on my own timeline. But I can’t put my books on the physical shelf which is something I’d always dreamed of. Traditional publishing can do that, but I wouldn’t be making all the decisions anymore. I also had to think about my next book – what were my goals for my sophomore novel? 

Ultimately, I chose to sign with Penguin in the US and UK and it was a truly a dream come true the day I walked into a bookstore and spotted my lovely cover on the shelf. I’m eternally grateful to my publisher and the readers for making it happen. 

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