Martha works in a very highly skilled job as a social worker. Her French husband equally highly skilled job in a powerful firm. His sudden death in a hit and run accident leaves Martha bereft. Further investigation shows that he had actually taken a day off, unknown to Martha and only known to a trusted coworker of his. Casual clothes including a hoodie, never worn by Thierry found bundled in a briefcase adds to the mystery.
The story unravels with Martha not knowing what she should do next. Vulnerable and susceptible, she falls prey to the smooth talking Pascal while on a break in France, visiting her closest friend Erin. Falling in love with a decrepit, abandoned house was not on the cards but Martha feels that it will give her focus. Apart from Pascal, who is a scammer, Martha discovers that Pascal has a nineteen year old son, whom he was on his way to meet, on the fateful day he died.
The story dealing with how people manage or rather don’t manage grief, how feelings fluctuate between knowing what should be done and the irrational. The loneliness of the bereaved and the isolation when one has no family, no children to act as a support or envelope you in some warmth as was Martha’s case. That Martha had Erin was a godsend. The importance of friends is a highlight as well.
Sent by BooksGoSocial for an unbiased review, courtesy of Netgalley.
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