Happy Publishing Week to this gem of a book! I was super happy to be selected to read this on it’s birthday week.
I want to thank Dutton Books for sending me this read in exchange for my honest review.
Julia is outside with her children hanging out with the neighborhood moms when she calls her husband to check-in on him as he travels home from a work interview. He’s headed home on the New York Amtrak when a bomb explodes. He had been on the phone with his wife during the explosion when his phone went dead. Julia has to keep calm for her children, yet is desperate to go find her husband. She lives her kids with the neighbors and goes downtown to find him. Soon enough, she learns the news that the police think her husband is the one behind the bomb. She just can’t believe it. As we try to find out if he is the bomber, we also see flash backs of how they met and their life together in love.
This is a DEEP read. The entire time I was thinking, “Man, this is a perfect story for a thrilling read.” I slowly realized, the sad truth is that it could totally be a true story. Our world is in such a chaotic state, anything could happen. Familes are torn apart in a split second…it’s unreal. This book captures it all. The emotions these families go through after a public bomb explosion are so authentic. I felt like I was just watching a CNN special while reading this. It was utterly chilling. The book follows two story-lines, one of Michael and the other as a narrator. I, personally, am not a fan of multiple point of views, but this book needs that. It’s crucial to see both sides of the story here. I also really appreciated learning all about their relationship together. What a marriage! This book is the most relevant thing I’ve read in a long time. If anything, you need to read this book for the epilogue because you’ve going to have to pick your jaw off the floor.
4.5/5 Stars
Live, Read, And Prosper 