This is a good example of why you should always read an entire book, and not just the first couple of chapters! At the beginning of the book, a married woman (who we know nothing about yet) leaves her husband, children, mother and friends visiting inside her home while she goes outside to have sex with a childhood friend (who we know nothing about yet). It's shocking and made me cringe. Right away I envisioned this "rendezvous" as something distasteful and so incredibly wrong.
The farther I got into the book, the more I connected with the characters and their individual feelings and histories. It sucked me right in. The main character, Elle, spent her summers at "The Paper Palace", which included a main house and a cluster of cabins in Cape Cod. The buildings are in rough shape after generations of weathering and apparently limited maintenance or upkeep. But this is where Elle's heart is, despite the tragic things that have happened to her over the years.
Elle's grandparents and parents seemed to all be "searching for love in all the wrong places". They each married a few times, but none of their marriages lasted. Elle married Peter, who was by all accounts deeply in love with Elle. He was a wonderful, trusting, supportive husband and an awesome dad. All around good guy. Even Elle's crabby & critical mother loved him. Elle and Peter have three children, who are well-loved. So, what's the problem, right?
The problem is Jonas. Jonas was Elle's childhood friend. Jonas was younger than Elle, but they connected on a deep level. Jonas was the only person in Elle's life that knew Elle's "good, bad and ugly". Elle protected herself and others through lies of omission. Jonas was the only person in Elle's life that she never lied to. They spent their summers together. After a tragedy happens one summer day, when Elle, Jonas and Elle's step-brother (Conrad) are out sailing, Jonas' mother sends Jonas away and he doesn't come back to the Cape for a few years.
Elle & Peter eventually reconnect with Jonas and his wife, Gina, and they become "couple friends". The problem is, Elle and Jonas love each other. The novel is split into sections. We read about the present day (which is only 24 hours in length); we read about Elle & Peter's relationship; we read about Elle & Jonas' relationship. After delving deeply into Elle and her feelings for both men, and understanding what exactly happened in each person's life that guided them to make the decisions they each made, the opening chapters make a lot more sense. Therefore Elle is faced with a true dilemma. Does she choose safety & security & love with Peter - or does she choose the love of her life, Jonas?
The ending is ambiguous on a surface level. I read the last couple of paragraphs several times. But if you really know the characters and you understand the significance of the final words & gestures (by Elle & Peter) - and the foreshadowing of the ending in the opening chapter of the book - then the ending is clearer. I won't give it away here though. ;)
I really enjoyed this story. This novel is a first for Heller. I can't wait to see what she writes next.
Wendy's Rating: ****
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