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Lies of the Heart
As her husband's killer stands trial, a woman must come to terms with her marriage's hidden fault lines
Katie Burelli is living a wife's worst nightmare. Her husband, Nick, a speech therapist, has been killed, shot at point-blank range by Jerry, one of his mentally handicapped patients. Now, she sits in the courtroom, playing and replaying the events that led up to the murder. As the trial progresses and Katie searches her own recollections for answers, she begins to confront the truth about her marriage and her own responsibility for its dissolution.
In chapters alternating between the past and present, Lies of the Heart unravels the truth behind the mourning widow's grief. Katie- long overshadowed by her beautiful, successful sister-pinned her emotional well-being on Nick, whose unpredictable rampages only fueled Katie's destructive insecurities. As the cracks in their relationship began to appear, both welcomed Jerry into their family, hoping that by fixing him they could fix themselves. A powerful debut novel and a rich tale of psychological suspense, Lies of the Heart masterfully dissects a marriage and explores the path of self-discovery that can sometimes be found in grief.
Katie Burelli is living a wife's worst nightmare. Her husband, Nick, a speech therapist, has been killed, shot at point-blank range by Jerry, one of his mentally handicapped patients. Now, she sits in the courtroom, playing and replaying the events that led up to the murder. As the trial progresses and Katie searches her own recollections for answers, she begins to confront the truth about her marriage and her own responsibility for its dissolution.
In chapters alternating between the past and present, Lies of the Heart unravels the truth behind the mourning widow's grief. Katie- long overshadowed by her beautiful, successful sister-pinned her emotional well-being on Nick, whose unpredictable rampages only fueled Katie's destructive insecurities. As the cracks in their relationship began to appear, both welcomed Jerry into their family, hoping that by fixing him they could fix themselves. A powerful debut novel and a rich tale of psychological suspense, Lies of the Heart masterfully dissects a marriage and explores the path of self-discovery that can sometimes be found in grief.
- GenresFiction
352 pages, Hardcover
First published April 13, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
April 1, 2010
I won this book from first reads and I was really excited because it sounded great. I finished it a couple of days ago and have been going back and forth between two and three stars. I did like the book, it was an interesting story and thought provoking. But it just wasn't as strong as it could have been.
July 25, 2017
A complicated and unsettling book that I would definitely 100% recommend (4.5 stars)
Michelle Boyajian's debut novel is like an onion, where each page peels away another layer of the story and with each new revelation, you're having to adjust yourself, your position and opinion, and your understanding of the characters and their story. It's like those scenes in movies where you start with the camera focused on one person, then zoom out to the house that person is in, then their community, their town, country, region, and then you're viewing the entire globe and it's becoming smaller and smaller. It's hard to write a review of this book because there are so many plot twists and revelations that one would want to include in order to discuss the largest and most comprehensive image we're given, but I will try to stick to what I CAN say so as not to ruin anyone else's experience of reading this book.
The way Lies of the Heart unfolds is what adds to the mystery and creates the "onion" effect. The book's main character is Kate Burelli and it starts at the beginning of the trial in which Jerry, a developmentally disabled man, is accused of shooting Nick, his speech pathologist and Katie's husband. The story then has two threads: one of the trial and the other of Katie, her marriage with Nick, and then the addition of Jerry. This second thread is leading us up to the first one, and as they draw closer and closer together, things become increasingly complicated and tangled, while at the same time much, much clearer and simpler.
We start the book thinking we know who the "good guys" and "bad guys" are, who our narrator is, who her husband was, etc. As the story progresses we begin to question all of our perceptions; what we thought of the three main characters, as well as other secondary ones, starts to change, shift, switch, and transform. We begin to see the various dimensions of these complex people and yes, much of it is not rainbows and flowers and butterflies. It felt real to me, though, and all the more important for a reader: it was fascinating. It was absolutely wonderfully done and once you get sucked in (which doesn't take long in my opinion) this book becomes a page-turner.
The characters are interesting, complicated, well-written, and emotionally provoking. You in turn feel sadness, impatience, sympathy, pity, anger, affection, frustration, and about a hundred other emotions for them. Kate, whom we know the most intimately as we are shown everything through her eyes, was extremely compelling to me, in both good and bad ways. Katie's parents brought some wonderful (and at times much needed!) humor to the book, and I thought the background story of the Cohens was very moving and a great addition. Many reviewers have mentioned Katie's relationship with her sister, but I do not think that this relationship is as central as some have made it out to be - it's no more important than her relationship with her mother (though both of them *are* important). One criticism I do have (which may seem minor but really annoys me) is about the cover: I don't think they should have chosen that one thing to allude to, out of all the choices they had; it seems to cheapen everything to reduce it to that.
Other reviewers have written they thought the ending was too neat, but not only do I disagree, I'm not even really sure how they could interpret it that way. Even at the end, we're left with questions, wanting to know more about what happened and about these people, their inner thoughts and lives. I don't know if this will make me sound masochistic, but I think it's absolutely fabulous! There will be parts of this story that speak to you, and others that leave you wondering, vaguely uncomfortable and uneasy. That a writer is able to do this with words on a page shows how talented she is and how engaging her story and characters obviously were; as a reader, I can only appreciate and welcome this.
[This review is of an advanced copy format of the book:]
Michelle Boyajian's debut novel is like an onion, where each page peels away another layer of the story and with each new revelation, you're having to adjust yourself, your position and opinion, and your understanding of the characters and their story. It's like those scenes in movies where you start with the camera focused on one person, then zoom out to the house that person is in, then their community, their town, country, region, and then you're viewing the entire globe and it's becoming smaller and smaller. It's hard to write a review of this book because there are so many plot twists and revelations that one would want to include in order to discuss the largest and most comprehensive image we're given, but I will try to stick to what I CAN say so as not to ruin anyone else's experience of reading this book.
The way Lies of the Heart unfolds is what adds to the mystery and creates the "onion" effect. The book's main character is Kate Burelli and it starts at the beginning of the trial in which Jerry, a developmentally disabled man, is accused of shooting Nick, his speech pathologist and Katie's husband. The story then has two threads: one of the trial and the other of Katie, her marriage with Nick, and then the addition of Jerry. This second thread is leading us up to the first one, and as they draw closer and closer together, things become increasingly complicated and tangled, while at the same time much, much clearer and simpler.
We start the book thinking we know who the "good guys" and "bad guys" are, who our narrator is, who her husband was, etc. As the story progresses we begin to question all of our perceptions; what we thought of the three main characters, as well as other secondary ones, starts to change, shift, switch, and transform. We begin to see the various dimensions of these complex people and yes, much of it is not rainbows and flowers and butterflies. It felt real to me, though, and all the more important for a reader: it was fascinating. It was absolutely wonderfully done and once you get sucked in (which doesn't take long in my opinion) this book becomes a page-turner.
The characters are interesting, complicated, well-written, and emotionally provoking. You in turn feel sadness, impatience, sympathy, pity, anger, affection, frustration, and about a hundred other emotions for them. Kate, whom we know the most intimately as we are shown everything through her eyes, was extremely compelling to me, in both good and bad ways. Katie's parents brought some wonderful (and at times much needed!) humor to the book, and I thought the background story of the Cohens was very moving and a great addition. Many reviewers have mentioned Katie's relationship with her sister, but I do not think that this relationship is as central as some have made it out to be - it's no more important than her relationship with her mother (though both of them *are* important). One criticism I do have (which may seem minor but really annoys me) is about the cover: I don't think they should have chosen that one thing to allude to, out of all the choices they had; it seems to cheapen everything to reduce it to that.
Other reviewers have written they thought the ending was too neat, but not only do I disagree, I'm not even really sure how they could interpret it that way. Even at the end, we're left with questions, wanting to know more about what happened and about these people, their inner thoughts and lives. I don't know if this will make me sound masochistic, but I think it's absolutely fabulous! There will be parts of this story that speak to you, and others that leave you wondering, vaguely uncomfortable and uneasy. That a writer is able to do this with words on a page shows how talented she is and how engaging her story and characters obviously were; as a reader, I can only appreciate and welcome this.
[This review is of an advanced copy format of the book:]
September 13, 2010
Michelle Boyajian’s debut novel, Lies of the Heart, is too slippery to be assigned one genre.¬¬ It takes off in a prologue with the sentence, “It’s one of those surreal moments in life, sitting there in the courtroom and staring into the eyes of her husband’s killer.” Remember this —it is your first clue. Murder is the MacGuffin that drives the book, but this is not a simple murder mystery or courtroom drama. The prologue is one paragraph and by the bottom of the page the reader knows who was killed and by whom and that the killer is in custody. The mystery that Katie Burelli, the protagonist, spends over three hundred pages trying to solve is the mystery of motive. Why did Jerry LaPlante, the thirty-eight year old mentally retarded man Katie and her husband Nick practically adopted steal a gun and fire a bullet at point blank range into Nick’s skull?
It is in the prologue that we find Katie imagining in her mind’s eye, through the vehicle of staring into Nick’s eyes, the trajectory of the bullet, the death of the brain—feeling by feeling, memory by memory. The scenario she pictures is rendered in exquisite detail, a mixture of poetry and pathology. We learn later in the book that Katie is a documentary film maker.
Death is not the only mystery in Lies of the Heart. The relationships between parents and children, friends, siblings, and married couples are explored throughout. Boyajian cuts between Jerry LaPlante’s trial (in the present tense) and past episodes in Katie’s life. For example, the reader is given glimpses of Arthur and Sarah Cohen, a couple who survived the Holocaust, while Katie is depicted watching footage of a documentary she has been working on. Although the Cohens have died, the film is always present tense. The Cohen’s, her sister, her friends, and even a stranger lend her wisdom and lessons in morality—advice an astute reader would have given her chapters before so that by the close of the book the long overdue loose ends are wrapped up.
As the book progresses, secrets unfold, betrayals are revealed, and catastrophe initiates change and growth. The narrative, even when addressing what should be happy moments, is weighted with poignancy and grief. This is not a book to read in one sitting, nor it is a book for a reader seeking action or suspense.
Boyajian’s pace is deliberately slow. Dialogue is backgrounded and description takes the foreground. This is appropriate, since Katie is frequently shown staring, watching, and seeing. She is outside the frame and studying other people for information about herself. Some of the people she studies resent her obsessive scrutiny, and that scrutiny has far-reaching and dangerous effects.
Boyajian has been called “a stunning new voice in women’s fiction” but again, it is unfair to dismiss this book as “women’s fiction”. Ultimately in Lies of the Heart, absolute truth and the possibility of objective knowledge are called into question; themes that include any literature, women’s or otherwise. Lies of the Heart is a strong first novel and I look forward to reading more fiction from Michelle Boyajian.
It is in the prologue that we find Katie imagining in her mind’s eye, through the vehicle of staring into Nick’s eyes, the trajectory of the bullet, the death of the brain—feeling by feeling, memory by memory. The scenario she pictures is rendered in exquisite detail, a mixture of poetry and pathology. We learn later in the book that Katie is a documentary film maker.
Death is not the only mystery in Lies of the Heart. The relationships between parents and children, friends, siblings, and married couples are explored throughout. Boyajian cuts between Jerry LaPlante’s trial (in the present tense) and past episodes in Katie’s life. For example, the reader is given glimpses of Arthur and Sarah Cohen, a couple who survived the Holocaust, while Katie is depicted watching footage of a documentary she has been working on. Although the Cohens have died, the film is always present tense. The Cohen’s, her sister, her friends, and even a stranger lend her wisdom and lessons in morality—advice an astute reader would have given her chapters before so that by the close of the book the long overdue loose ends are wrapped up.
As the book progresses, secrets unfold, betrayals are revealed, and catastrophe initiates change and growth. The narrative, even when addressing what should be happy moments, is weighted with poignancy and grief. This is not a book to read in one sitting, nor it is a book for a reader seeking action or suspense.
Boyajian’s pace is deliberately slow. Dialogue is backgrounded and description takes the foreground. This is appropriate, since Katie is frequently shown staring, watching, and seeing. She is outside the frame and studying other people for information about herself. Some of the people she studies resent her obsessive scrutiny, and that scrutiny has far-reaching and dangerous effects.
Boyajian has been called “a stunning new voice in women’s fiction” but again, it is unfair to dismiss this book as “women’s fiction”. Ultimately in Lies of the Heart, absolute truth and the possibility of objective knowledge are called into question; themes that include any literature, women’s or otherwise. Lies of the Heart is a strong first novel and I look forward to reading more fiction from Michelle Boyajian.
May 29, 2010
I was so looking forward to diving into this book because the premise of it seemed so interesting. Katie, who has made it her life’s goal to publish documentaries, and her husband Nick, a speech therapist, seem to have the perfect marriage. They begin to work together on a case of a mentally-handicapped young man who becomes like a son to them.
One day Jerry, who has the mind of a ten year-old, shoots Nick in cold blood and Katie is forced to stand trial against Jerry and share about Jerry’s intimate past, her own past, and Nick’s. When you begin to feel sad for Katie, you soon realize that they did not have the perfect marriage at all. Nick is verbally abusive to Katie and their marriage felt forced upon him. He had decided to leave Katie one month before the murder and Katie is left to figure out the puzzle pieces of her life without Nick and without Jeremy.
The story flashes forward and backward, alternating between chapters, to share more about Katie and how her own insecurities within herself have pushed away family members, friends, and neighbors. She never believes that she is good enough and is always comparing herself to others. Katie must find the love within herself to want to find her own life and continue a life without the center of her focus being Nick.
The book was about obsession and Katie wanting to be loved and adored by Nick when he never really loved her. Unfortunately, as you get to know Nick more, it makes you not even care that he had been murdered and it makes you wish for Jeremy, confused and alone, to not have to be put on trial. Perhaps that is what the author really wants here.
Unfortunately, the story really did not hold me the way I wanted, the ending was very confusing and I had no idea really what happened in the end, and I just was ready to move on to another read.
I would read the author again, I just don’t think that the story was gripping enough despite great story elements being there.
One day Jerry, who has the mind of a ten year-old, shoots Nick in cold blood and Katie is forced to stand trial against Jerry and share about Jerry’s intimate past, her own past, and Nick’s. When you begin to feel sad for Katie, you soon realize that they did not have the perfect marriage at all. Nick is verbally abusive to Katie and their marriage felt forced upon him. He had decided to leave Katie one month before the murder and Katie is left to figure out the puzzle pieces of her life without Nick and without Jeremy.
The story flashes forward and backward, alternating between chapters, to share more about Katie and how her own insecurities within herself have pushed away family members, friends, and neighbors. She never believes that she is good enough and is always comparing herself to others. Katie must find the love within herself to want to find her own life and continue a life without the center of her focus being Nick.
The book was about obsession and Katie wanting to be loved and adored by Nick when he never really loved her. Unfortunately, as you get to know Nick more, it makes you not even care that he had been murdered and it makes you wish for Jeremy, confused and alone, to not have to be put on trial. Perhaps that is what the author really wants here.
Unfortunately, the story really did not hold me the way I wanted, the ending was very confusing and I had no idea really what happened in the end, and I just was ready to move on to another read.
I would read the author again, I just don’t think that the story was gripping enough despite great story elements being there.
July 29, 2010
LIES OF THE HEART begins as a story about a mentally challenged man named Jerry who is on trial for the murder of his speech therapist, Nick Burelli, and evolves into an intimate, in depth look at the dynamics responsible for the events leading up to the tragedy.
Katie Burelli's basic problem is that she has always felt undervalued by her friends, her family and her husband and protects herself by watching life go by rather than participating in it. Her pursuit of a career in documentary filmmaking allows her to remain in her comfort zone and just "watch" the lives of others unfold. In fact, two of the most likable characters in this book are the subjects of one of Katie's documentary projects, the Cohens.
Katie enjoys the devotion Jerry shows her and does seem to get some sort of satisfaction from being able to manipulate and control the mentally and emotionally scarred thirty-eight year old. Her husband, Nicky, has some envy, self-esteem and control issues of his own. These two immature and selfish individuals constantly play head games with each other and use Jerry like a ping pong ball in their game of "he likes me better than you". Neither of these supposedly educated people has the slightest inkling of who they are or what they really want, but they are both sure of one thing ......they want to be better than the other guy. Although they purportedly love each other, their marriage is built on shaky ground and their relationship has more to do with sexual satisfaction and self gratification than with the sharing of common goals and building a life together.
In recounting the events that led up to the murder, a fair and impartial jury would be quick to see that the only individual who is truly without culpability in this entire scenario is Jerry.
Katie Burelli's basic problem is that she has always felt undervalued by her friends, her family and her husband and protects herself by watching life go by rather than participating in it. Her pursuit of a career in documentary filmmaking allows her to remain in her comfort zone and just "watch" the lives of others unfold. In fact, two of the most likable characters in this book are the subjects of one of Katie's documentary projects, the Cohens.
Katie enjoys the devotion Jerry shows her and does seem to get some sort of satisfaction from being able to manipulate and control the mentally and emotionally scarred thirty-eight year old. Her husband, Nicky, has some envy, self-esteem and control issues of his own. These two immature and selfish individuals constantly play head games with each other and use Jerry like a ping pong ball in their game of "he likes me better than you". Neither of these supposedly educated people has the slightest inkling of who they are or what they really want, but they are both sure of one thing ......they want to be better than the other guy. Although they purportedly love each other, their marriage is built on shaky ground and their relationship has more to do with sexual satisfaction and self gratification than with the sharing of common goals and building a life together.
In recounting the events that led up to the murder, a fair and impartial jury would be quick to see that the only individual who is truly without culpability in this entire scenario is Jerry.
March 30, 2010
First of all, I want to be upfront that I won this book from a goodreads author giveaway... that being said- I truly loved this book. I wish I could give it a 4.5 out of 5.
I really was drawn in to the story line. As a physical therapist who works with the elderly, I can see how easy it is to develop relationships with our patients. I can only imagine when working closely with the mentally handicapped population over a period of months and years that strong relationships could develop that can play a prominent role in a marraige.
I liked how the author, Michelle Boyajian shifted from the present court case to the past to develop her characters. I felt like the marraige was a character in itself that was carefully developed over time. The supporting characters (Katie's father, the neighbor Sandy, as well as Arthur and Sarah) were fabulous as well. I thought Michelle Boyajian artfully weaved their stories as well as their changing relationship with Katie into the complex main story.
Overall, Lies of the Heart has a fantastic storyline with extremely well-developed characters all rolled into a satisfying page-turner.
I really was drawn in to the story line. As a physical therapist who works with the elderly, I can see how easy it is to develop relationships with our patients. I can only imagine when working closely with the mentally handicapped population over a period of months and years that strong relationships could develop that can play a prominent role in a marraige.
I liked how the author, Michelle Boyajian shifted from the present court case to the past to develop her characters. I felt like the marraige was a character in itself that was carefully developed over time. The supporting characters (Katie's father, the neighbor Sandy, as well as Arthur and Sarah) were fabulous as well. I thought Michelle Boyajian artfully weaved their stories as well as their changing relationship with Katie into the complex main story.
Overall, Lies of the Heart has a fantastic storyline with extremely well-developed characters all rolled into a satisfying page-turner.
March 26, 2010
Lies of the Heart is the intimate telling of Katie Burelli's struggle to make sense of the tragic loss of her husband, their relationship, and events past and present that shaped their life together. Katie's myopic view of herself and her place in the world is tested and redefined through the process of the trial of her husband's murderer. It is a thought-provoking story of questioning and self discovery.
I appreciate the attention to detail taken in creating Katie. While most will not relate to all aspects of her, certain facets of her experience and self-realization are familiar and evocative. The writing style is very detailed oriented, underscoring the way Katie interprets the world; focused on the small slices to the detriment of the big picture.
I received a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.
I appreciate the attention to detail taken in creating Katie. While most will not relate to all aspects of her, certain facets of her experience and self-realization are familiar and evocative. The writing style is very detailed oriented, underscoring the way Katie interprets the world; focused on the small slices to the detriment of the big picture.
I received a copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.
April 6, 2010
This is the third time I tried to review this book. My computer is acting up. I put down The Women to start this right away. Right in the middle I had cataract surgery, giving me time to think about what I already read. I believe this book is about the lesson everyone learns at some point in their life. You can't make someone love you. When Katie realizes this, she tries to hold on to Nick by intruding in his job. She feels this would give them a shared interest. The only trouble is Nick does't want her ther. He has outgrown her,and wants her to get alife of her own. Had Nick lived she would have been forced to face the fact that the marriage was over and nothing she could do would save it. The story idea was good and while it jumped around alot, I enjoyed reading it!
March 23, 2010
Received this book through goodreads.com first reads giveaway.
It really took me a while to get into this book. For days I was only able to stand a few pages at a time until I got past page 150. With it being 350 page book I felt that it was way too slow to start. The author continually threw information at you and you have no idea if it was relevant to the story or not.
I'm usually not a fan of how The author goes back and forth from past to present but this author did a pretty good job of distinguishing the different time lines. The author does a great job of making you feel anger and sympathy for the different characters.
It really took me a while to get into this book. For days I was only able to stand a few pages at a time until I got past page 150. With it being 350 page book I felt that it was way too slow to start. The author continually threw information at you and you have no idea if it was relevant to the story or not.
I'm usually not a fan of how The author goes back and forth from past to present but this author did a pretty good job of distinguishing the different time lines. The author does a great job of making you feel anger and sympathy for the different characters.
March 26, 2010
Won on Goodreads Giveaway. Read the prologue. WOW! Thought I was going to stay up all night reading this one. Unfortunately, not every page did the same for me so this one has taken me all week to read. I wasn’t connected with the characters and began losing interest once the plot began moving back and forth in time. (Which has happened in other books I’ve read and I haven’t lost interest!) I found myself just reading the words instead of relating to them. The story seemed to drag on and on with Katie’s problems growing larger and larger. Once it finally ended, I really just didn’t “get” it. Remember, just my opinion.
April 9, 2010
This was a goodreads win for me, and although the book started off a little slow, I really loved it by the end.
The author does a great job building the main character's personality and really letting the reader get to know her. She seemlessly integrates flashbacks to provide background of the current storyline. Although the book was repetitive at times and I was somewhat shocked at how a woman could be so dependent on a man for her entire sense of self-worth, it was very real and touching. By the end I could not put it down. The author obviously has a deep understanding of relationships and has successfully applied that to her writing in this book.
The author does a great job building the main character's personality and really letting the reader get to know her. She seemlessly integrates flashbacks to provide background of the current storyline. Although the book was repetitive at times and I was somewhat shocked at how a woman could be so dependent on a man for her entire sense of self-worth, it was very real and touching. By the end I could not put it down. The author obviously has a deep understanding of relationships and has successfully applied that to her writing in this book.
April 1, 2010
I won this book from First Reads. I had a really hard time getting into this book...in fact I didn't really feel very engaged until more than halfway through it. But I wouldn't say it was a bad book. It just didn't seem to grab me at this moment in time. The story revolves around a woman who is going through her husband's murder trial. The man who murdered her husband was a mentally retarded man who both she and her husband were close to. As the book goes on you delve deeper into the main characters mind and find out more about the state of her marriage before her husband's murder.
July 15, 2010
The premise of this book sounded very interesting -- the husband of the main character is killed by a developmentally disabled man that he worked with and who they both loved and spent time with. Unfortunately, the book ended up being about the main character's bizarre obsession with her husband, who was actually very cruel and didn't love her, and trying to figure out who she was, which I just didn't get, and perhaps didn't care to, because Jerry and Dana were probably the only two characters who I cared about. Disappointing!
January 15, 2019
Katie’s husband, Nick, was murdered by Jerry, a man with an intellectual disability… a man that Nick worked with and they both loved like a son. But, Jerry is now on trial, and as the trial goes on, we also go back in time to learn what happened.
I quite liked this. No, Katie may not be terribly likeable, and she certainly made plenty of decisions I didn’t agree with, but it’s a compelling story, I thought. Sure felt bad for Jerry. It was easy to be torn on this. There was a small thing at the end I still didn’t quite understand, but still thought the book as a whole was really good.
I quite liked this. No, Katie may not be terribly likeable, and she certainly made plenty of decisions I didn’t agree with, but it’s a compelling story, I thought. Sure felt bad for Jerry. It was easy to be torn on this. There was a small thing at the end I still didn’t quite understand, but still thought the book as a whole was really good.
November 28, 2010
Lies of the heart is the intimate telling of the struggle Katie Burelli went through to try to make sense of the tragic loss of her husband, their relationship, and events past and present that shaped their life together. It is a thought provoking story of Questioning and self discovery. As Katies myopic view of her self and her place in the world is tested and redefined throughout the process of the trail of her husbands murdered.
June 28, 2010
Disclosure: I won this book in a giveaway on Good Reads.
It took me quite awhile to get through this book. The author did a great job of peeling back layers of the story to see what the heart of the heart was. But one you got to it... you are sort of like. Well... I could have guessed that. I also felt he wrap up & epilogue were very brisk. I expected more in the conclusion since the unraveling of the plot was so complex.
It took me quite awhile to get through this book. The author did a great job of peeling back layers of the story to see what the heart of the heart was. But one you got to it... you are sort of like. Well... I could have guessed that. I also felt he wrap up & epilogue were very brisk. I expected more in the conclusion since the unraveling of the plot was so complex.
June 2, 2010
It took me a while to get through this book, it doesn't immediately drag you in - but about halfway through it got a little more interesting. There was quite a bit of language in the book, which I really didn't like, was it really necessary to use the "F" word in every chapter? But the story itself was an interesting concept. The ending was also a little abrupt, it didn't make a lot of sense and left some unanswered questions. I won this in a goodreads giveaway.
April 14, 2010
Nick has been murdered in a gym by his patient who is mentally ill. Nick's wife, Katie, is distraught but during the trial she begins to think about her marriage. Katie starts to think that she might have had something to do with her husband's death. Did Jerry pull the trigger just for her?
The drama in this book is unlike anything I have ever read before. This psychological intensity keeps you reading until the very last page. I give this book 5 stars.
The drama in this book is unlike anything I have ever read before. This psychological intensity keeps you reading until the very last page. I give this book 5 stars.
February 7, 2012
Interesting plot idea, but just bad. Riddled with distracting typos and I lost count of how many times the main character's body "crashed into" her husbands' in yet another instance of the author describing Katie's all consuming view of their intimacy. Over-emotional repetitiveness, any substance that it could've had is ruined by the flowery descriptions of how the main character feels- which is so uninteresting it took me quite a while to finally finish.
March 5, 2013
Such an amazing book about the struggles of finding ones self in this confusing world. Trying to do what's right while at the same time not wanting to hurt those closest to you. Katie struggles to understand her purpose in life, allowing the movements and actions of others to gage her own. She learns the consequence that come from loving someone so deeply. A love that took away everything she had.
June 11, 2010
It kept my interest and I enjoyed the courtroom stuff, but I think it was supposed to be heart-tugging and my heart remained stubbornly un-tugged. I did learn that I find "mentally challenged" dialect ("Kateeeeee, I lub my Kateeee!") as offensive as the dialect in "The Help." There's probably no way for authors to get around this, but it still bugs me.
January 29, 2012
I loved this book! I hoped I would enjoy it because I thought it was a great concept and I did. However, could someone please explain to me what happened during the trial at the end? I cannot figure out why Katie did what she did and what it represented. I get that at the end Jerry was placed in an institution instead of being placed in jail, but was he convicted? I'm confused!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 6, 2010
I just received this book today (March 22nd), that I won through Goodreads. I will begin reading it soon.
I loved this book. Could hardly put it down. I so related to the main character, Katie. I won this book on Goodreads.
I loved this book. Could hardly put it down. I so related to the main character, Katie. I won this book on Goodreads.
April 12, 2010
I won this book through Goodreads..I thought it was a great book and would like to give it a 4.5 rating.
I thought it had great characters and having worked with mentally handicapped individuals before I thought it was very accurate. I thought it was a great story!!
I thought it had great characters and having worked with mentally handicapped individuals before I thought it was very accurate. I thought it was a great story!!
June 19, 2010
When I read the jacket of this book I could not wait to start it and was excited to take it on vacation last week. The story line had so much potential which, in my opinion, the author did not live up to. It meandered all over the place and the end was boring. I was really disappointed in it.
August 15, 2010
This was a book that was profiled in one of those "new books you should read" columns. It's a first novel by this author, and I think we'll hear more from her in the future. It was interesting subject matter and well written.
October 2, 2012
What a fantastic book!
Katie's entire life changes in an instant when Jerry walks toward Nick on the basketball court and shoots him at point-blank range. Katie struggles with being alone, her marriage not what she thought and Jerry's trial. The author certainly did her research! It's a must read!
Katie's entire life changes in an instant when Jerry walks toward Nick on the basketball court and shoots him at point-blank range. Katie struggles with being alone, her marriage not what she thought and Jerry's trial. The author certainly did her research! It's a must read!
January 9, 2013
I found this read pretty dark. Boyajian manages to reel the reader into this queasy story quite masterfully. We all have family issues so relating to disfunction keeps us turning the pages until a masterful ending.
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September 28, 2015I have to say that I agree with many of the reviewers on Good Reads. A great start, good character development, intriguing for more than half the book, but it does start to wane, get confusing, and end in such a way that I'm not sure what exactly happened .
April 30, 2010
Wonderful debut novel.
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