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Past the Eclipse
Rachel's life has become ingrained in the family she's built with her wife of sixteen years. When she makes a terrible mistake, one she immediately regrets, it's not something she can hide or lie about if she ever hopes to move past it.
Joanna has always been the rock, but in the wake of her partner's betrayal she's left adrift, wondering who she really is and how she's supposed to move forward.
Joanna has always been the rock, but in the wake of her partner's betrayal she's left adrift, wondering who she really is and how she's supposed to move forward.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 20, 2013
About the author
Veronica Watts
2 books6 followersVeronica is currently working on her next novel while working for a non-profit in Asheville, NC. She spends her time away from books with her family and dogs. #blacklivesmatter #representationmatters #mentalhealthishealth #genderisaconstruct #loveislove
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 15, 2016
Past the Eclipse is the debut novel by Veronica Watts. The novel was previously self-published as The Healing Year in 2013.
The story is about adultery in a committed relationship of sixteen years. It deals with the initial trauma and broken bonds of trust, and afterwards with the slow process of healing and forgiving.
Summary:
Joanna, a college professor, and Rachel, a painter, love each other and their twelve-year-old daughter Dahlia. Their harmonious life is roughly interrupted by Rachel's "guilty conscious" behavior and upsetting confession -- "I slept with someone else". It happened only once after too much to drink, but the consequences are serious and harmful for all.
Pros:
- an intriguing premise about ultimate spousal betrayal that cuts deeper than any other
- believable and likable main characters with some really great secondary characters
- Joanna's not light but believable and interesting background story that fits the main theme perfectly
- the point of view is alternating between Joanna and Rachel, so we can follow both characters equally, their suffering but also their personal and emotional growth as a result of events
- the process of forgiving an unfaithful partner is done nicely through all stages of healing from infidelity
- very well-written mother(s)/daughter relationship
Cons:
- too long paragraphs in places which are sometimes rather difficult to read through
- not enough dialogue for my liking
- a lot of descriptions and repetitions of unnecessary, mundane things (hm... maybe that is all that we are left with when our safe world collapses)
- some errors in the text (a few missing words and punctuation, double letters, wrong character's name), but this is just an ARC - uncorrected proof, so that will be corrected before publishing
Conclusion:
All of the above under Cons suggests that firmer editing would be necessary to get a more compact and clearer story, but despite the book's faults, everything under Pros indicates a compelling story worth reading. I enjoyed it.
3.5 stars rounded up considering it is the author's debut novel.
*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*
The story is about adultery in a committed relationship of sixteen years. It deals with the initial trauma and broken bonds of trust, and afterwards with the slow process of healing and forgiving.
Summary:
Joanna, a college professor, and Rachel, a painter, love each other and their twelve-year-old daughter Dahlia. Their harmonious life is roughly interrupted by Rachel's "guilty conscious" behavior and upsetting confession -- "I slept with someone else". It happened only once after too much to drink, but the consequences are serious and harmful for all.
Pros:
- an intriguing premise about ultimate spousal betrayal that cuts deeper than any other
- believable and likable main characters with some really great secondary characters
- Joanna's not light but believable and interesting background story that fits the main theme perfectly
- the point of view is alternating between Joanna and Rachel, so we can follow both characters equally, their suffering but also their personal and emotional growth as a result of events
- the process of forgiving an unfaithful partner is done nicely through all stages of healing from infidelity
- very well-written mother(s)/daughter relationship
Cons:
- too long paragraphs in places which are sometimes rather difficult to read through
- not enough dialogue for my liking
- a lot of descriptions and repetitions of unnecessary, mundane things (hm... maybe that is all that we are left with when our safe world collapses)
- some errors in the text (a few missing words and punctuation, double letters, wrong character's name), but this is just an ARC - uncorrected proof, so that will be corrected before publishing
Conclusion:
All of the above under Cons suggests that firmer editing would be necessary to get a more compact and clearer story, but despite the book's faults, everything under Pros indicates a compelling story worth reading. I enjoyed it.
3.5 stars rounded up considering it is the author's debut novel.
*ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley*
September 11, 2016
3 1/2 Stars. I thought this was a pretty good book, especially since it's Watt's debut. It was well written and I immediately connected to the characters. My only main complaint was that sometimes I had trouble realizing who was speaking. I would have to go back and re-read, trying to figure it out. The copy I read was not the finale version, so I'm hopefully some more character tags will be added.
This book is not about an easy subject, infidelity. I've had a lot of ups and downs, with books, on this subject. From the really good, Does She Love You? by Spangler, to the really disappointing Threads of the Heart by Levig. I was anxious to figure where this book would land. I'm happy to say my opinion is mostly positive. I found it to be pretty realistic. This book is about a middle aged couple, who have been married for a while, raising their 11-year-old daughter. The emotions from the infidelity was anger, hurt, and distrust. It may be easier to eventually forgive, but could Jo ever trust Rachel again? Or was this marriage doomed?
This book is not fast paced or exciting. But as I said before, it felt very realistic. It not only dealt with how infidelity affects a family, but also how much you are affected by your past. It also dealt with being a long term couple, with how life changes and how being a mom constantly changes.
I enjoyed this read, and would recommend it to people wanting to read about very realistic, real life issues.
An ARC was given to me by LT3 Press, for a honest review
This book is not about an easy subject, infidelity. I've had a lot of ups and downs, with books, on this subject. From the really good, Does She Love You? by Spangler, to the really disappointing Threads of the Heart by Levig. I was anxious to figure where this book would land. I'm happy to say my opinion is mostly positive. I found it to be pretty realistic. This book is about a middle aged couple, who have been married for a while, raising their 11-year-old daughter. The emotions from the infidelity was anger, hurt, and distrust. It may be easier to eventually forgive, but could Jo ever trust Rachel again? Or was this marriage doomed?
This book is not fast paced or exciting. But as I said before, it felt very realistic. It not only dealt with how infidelity affects a family, but also how much you are affected by your past. It also dealt with being a long term couple, with how life changes and how being a mom constantly changes.
I enjoyed this read, and would recommend it to people wanting to read about very realistic, real life issues.
An ARC was given to me by LT3 Press, for a honest review
September 5, 2016
Past the Eclipse is an intense novel. One of the women who makes up the couple, after some serious prompting by her wife, admits to having a one-night stand. And there begins the couple’s journey of recovering from adultery and rebuilding their lives. The guilt and remorse of the adulterous Rachel and the anguish and anger of Joanna are palpable and quite powerful tools that carry the narrative forward. What, however, gets lost along the way is the chemistry, which never manages to recover after the first sex scene in the shower. The choice of long paragraphs of flat narration over the use of dialogues gets a bit tedious, and the latter would perhaps have been a better stylistic option to keep the reader engaged. So also the cutting out of superfluous descriptions that fail to take the narration forward.
A review copy received from NetGalley.
A review copy received from NetGalley.
August 11, 2016
"Past the Eclipse" is the story of Joanna and Rachel, who are married with a daughter, Dahlia (Dolly). The book begins (well, at about 10%) with Rachel admitting to Joanna that she slept with someone else one time. The rest of the book is the fall out and recovery from this event. Dolly doesn't quite understand what is going on, but she has faith in her parents and their relationship.
I have mixed feelings about the book. I liked that they are portrayed as a very real and normal couple and as very real and normal people. I enjoyed their relationships with Dolly and how they discuss things with her. Dolly is a pretty special and insightful girl. I liked the very real feeling of pain/betrayal at learning of the affair and how they work together to mend their relationship and trust.
However, the book felt very long to me. I would have liked to have witnessed their relationship before the affair. They talk about the distant past but not the recent past in clear terms. It's hard to understand why Rachel would have an affair (maybe she didn't know either?), and maybe this was intentional, as it shouldn't be the focus (their marriage should be their focus and it is also the book's focus). Regardless, I feel like it could have been shortened a bit, as it felt a bit too repetitive in terms of their daily life (Joanna is avoiding, Rachel is reaching out/sad, Joanna pushes her away). In very slow terms, you see them growing and mending their relationship. Realistically, I imagine that this is how things would go, but it's emotionally draining to read and felt a little too long (too much day-to-day and not enough history/reflection/events if that makes sense).
I liked the characters- Joanna and Rachel both felt very real and mostly understandable. It felt like a couple close friends were talking to the reader about their current lives. I also liked the stories about their past which led them to their current lives- these were some of the most interesting parts of the book. I liked Dolly's viewpoint and the pieces of her life which we witness; I think she was the best part of the book! Overall, I think it has some real potential and value, but it is not a light or easy read (as you become emotionally involved with both characters as they are so likable and this is a tough situation).
Please note that I received this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
I have mixed feelings about the book. I liked that they are portrayed as a very real and normal couple and as very real and normal people. I enjoyed their relationships with Dolly and how they discuss things with her. Dolly is a pretty special and insightful girl. I liked the very real feeling of pain/betrayal at learning of the affair and how they work together to mend their relationship and trust.
However, the book felt very long to me. I would have liked to have witnessed their relationship before the affair. They talk about the distant past but not the recent past in clear terms. It's hard to understand why Rachel would have an affair (maybe she didn't know either?), and maybe this was intentional, as it shouldn't be the focus (their marriage should be their focus and it is also the book's focus). Regardless, I feel like it could have been shortened a bit, as it felt a bit too repetitive in terms of their daily life (Joanna is avoiding, Rachel is reaching out/sad, Joanna pushes her away). In very slow terms, you see them growing and mending their relationship. Realistically, I imagine that this is how things would go, but it's emotionally draining to read and felt a little too long (too much day-to-day and not enough history/reflection/events if that makes sense).
I liked the characters- Joanna and Rachel both felt very real and mostly understandable. It felt like a couple close friends were talking to the reader about their current lives. I also liked the stories about their past which led them to their current lives- these were some of the most interesting parts of the book. I liked Dolly's viewpoint and the pieces of her life which we witness; I think she was the best part of the book! Overall, I think it has some real potential and value, but it is not a light or easy read (as you become emotionally involved with both characters as they are so likable and this is a tough situation).
Please note that I received this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
March 19, 2017
Disclaimer: I received an e-copy of this book on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The book starts with Joanna and her daughter Dahlia on a camping holiday. Joanna's wife Rachel is at home. Somebody had just told Dahlia at school that she and her family weren't normal. This is especially hard to hear for Rachel, who has been kicked out by her homophobic parents when she was fifteen. Still over time they had built a happy life with accepting neighbour and good friends and a wonderful relationship.
Or so Joanna thought. When Rachel tells her that she slept with someone else, it's a shock. This confession destroys her trust in Rachel. Now they have to figure out what they want to do in the future.
Joanna's hurt feels realistic and their struggles to come to terms with that hurt do too. It was interesting to read about themes likes cheating and the aftermath of it.
I absolutely love Dahlia, she is honestly one of my favorite characters. At times she is a typical teenager, but you can always see how much she loves her parents and I'm happy to read a book about a lesbian family.
I would have liked a bit more focus on how Dahlia is dealing with it, after all she does not only struggle with the situation her mothers are in, but also with some prejudice at school. Sadly this wasn't discussed much and the book mostly focused on Joanna and Rachel.
There were a couple of typos, but I think they will be fixed before the book is released, so I'm not really counting them.
I enjoyed that we got to know their family life in detail, but at times I felt that the book was too focused on descriptions and dialogue was lacking a bit. After a while it also felt a bit dragged out.
The book was not amazing, but it was still nice to read and I quite enjoyed it.
Why I read it: A story about a lesbian family dealing with infidelity? That sounded interesting, and even though I'm not always a fan of cheating as plot point I still enjoyed this story.
Do I recommend it: If you want to read about a lesbian family dealing not with overt homophobia, but other relationship troubles, this is the book for you. It was still nice to read, despite it's problems.
Review crossposted to my blog here.
The book starts with Joanna and her daughter Dahlia on a camping holiday. Joanna's wife Rachel is at home. Somebody had just told Dahlia at school that she and her family weren't normal. This is especially hard to hear for Rachel, who has been kicked out by her homophobic parents when she was fifteen. Still over time they had built a happy life with accepting neighbour and good friends and a wonderful relationship.
Or so Joanna thought. When Rachel tells her that she slept with someone else, it's a shock. This confession destroys her trust in Rachel. Now they have to figure out what they want to do in the future.
Joanna's hurt feels realistic and their struggles to come to terms with that hurt do too. It was interesting to read about themes likes cheating and the aftermath of it.
I absolutely love Dahlia, she is honestly one of my favorite characters. At times she is a typical teenager, but you can always see how much she loves her parents and I'm happy to read a book about a lesbian family.
I would have liked a bit more focus on how Dahlia is dealing with it, after all she does not only struggle with the situation her mothers are in, but also with some prejudice at school. Sadly this wasn't discussed much and the book mostly focused on Joanna and Rachel.
There were a couple of typos, but I think they will be fixed before the book is released, so I'm not really counting them.
I enjoyed that we got to know their family life in detail, but at times I felt that the book was too focused on descriptions and dialogue was lacking a bit. After a while it also felt a bit dragged out.
The book was not amazing, but it was still nice to read and I quite enjoyed it.
Why I read it: A story about a lesbian family dealing with infidelity? That sounded interesting, and even though I'm not always a fan of cheating as plot point I still enjoyed this story.
Do I recommend it: If you want to read about a lesbian family dealing not with overt homophobia, but other relationship troubles, this is the book for you. It was still nice to read, despite it's problems.
Review crossposted to my blog here.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews