The first book I read by the author (Barbara Delinsky) was Gemstone and I loved it. When I read the summary of this book, it seemed like the kind of book I would love. And not surprisingly I do love it and it goes down as one of my very favourite books. This book makes you realize what is really important in your life and how much your priorities affect your life.
Jack Mcgill receives a call in the middle of the night that his ex-wife Rachael was involved in an accident and is in coma now. He rushes to her side immediately in Big Sur. However it was more for the sake of his daughters Samantha and Hope than Rachael’s.
Jack and Rachael used to be very much in love when they got married. However, Jack?s dream to become a top architect that made him a workaholic and it destroyed their marriage. Rachael then moved to Big Sur (a quiet town away from the busy city life which she hated in San Francisco) with her daughters. As Jack steps into the lives of his daughters and Racheal’s, he realizes how much he has missed and slowly he begins to understand Rachael’s reason of leaving him. He meets Rachael?s new friends and is surprised to find that she is now very different.
Jack gets more than what he bargained for when Rachael is still in coma even after a week. As he sits at Rachael?s bedside for hours, he rethinks about their marriage, learns about the new her from his daughters, her friends and her art. When he is faced with professional crisis back in San Francisco, he needs to rethink his priorities and make a decision about his life. The story is nicely written and keeps the reader glued to the book.
This is not the typical romance story if that?s what you are expecting or thinking. The theme of family is portrayed very well in the book. What makes the book extraordinary is that though the female protagonist is in coma in most part of the story, we get to know what kind of person she is, what are her feelings towards Jack & their marriage from her friend Katherine (Rachael?s best friend who speaks up for Rachael when she is not able to), her daughters and her paintings. Though the story is from the male protagonist?s point of view, its brilliantly done and we can understand exactly what he is going through.
We cry when the characters cry and we smile when they smile. I have recommended this book to many of my friends and they agree with me that indeed it?s a good book. I sincerely hope you too would give it a try and love it as much as I do. Thank You! God Bless! ~Priya~