Hello everyone. I hope you are having a great day.
Have you ever seen Everybody Loves Raymond? If you haven't it is a TV show where a younger couple lives across the street from his overbearing parents. The parents, Frank and Marie, bicker all the time. They are full of insults for each other and snarky comments. At one point the younger couple realizes that it is the way they communicate and show affection for each other. This makes me wonder whether it is better to keep any complaints to yourself in a relationship or let them be known? For us, I think we do a combo. We usually have a blowout fight once or twice a year to clear the air. Frankly, I find it exhausting. Sometimes it is just easier to let things go, pick your battles as they say. In books, those festering feelings make for a great plot.
I recently read Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney. This author is responsible for many great books, including the very popular Rock, Paper, Scissors. In this story we are following a couple, Grady and Abby. Grady is a bestselling author. One night, he is waiting for his wife to come home. She is late and he is on the phone with her as she drives. Suddenly she brakes sharply as there is a body in the road. He implores her not to get out of the car, but she feels she must offer assistance. Grady never hears from his wife again. Her car is found near a cliff with her belongings, but no Abby. A year later, Grady is a broken man. He misses his wife. He drinks too much, has spent his book money and is up against a deadline to produce another great novel. The problem, he hasn't been able to write since his wife disappeared. In desperation, his agent, Kitty, who is also Abby's godmother, offers him a deal. She has inherited a remote cabin on a secluded Scottish island. There is nothing to do there but be inspired by the beauty, rest, and write. In need of both a hit book and a place to live, Grady accepts Kitty's gracious offer and heads to the island. Of course, being a Alice Feeney novel, all is not what it appears. Grady is most certainly an unreliable narrator, especially as he starts seeing his wife everywhere. The people on the island bring their own charm, mystery and creepiness.
This book will grab your attention and not let it go. Seriously, don't start it if you have things to do. As I've said repeatedly, I am a pokey reader, and I read 280 pages yesterday. I just couldn't resist. I figured out part of what was going on about halfway through but was shocked at the ending. This book is a total escape and very fun. Makes me wonder what Alice Feeney will think of next.
