I really liked the first 2/3 of this book as the main two characters grappled with the obvious flaws and trouble in their relationship. It was believable and interesting. I was somewhat less interested and not at all believing of the ending of the book and the events that led up to it. I reckon McCafferty is a pretty good writer in the sense that she's an astute observer of human behaviour and can get those observations onto paper. Sure, her characters are often a bit on the wacky side, but I like that in many ways. I think the society I live in has a lot more wacky people - slightly deviant and not really comfortable with the mainstream - than we tend to recognise. ( )

I find it really hard to like a book where I just didn't like or understand the main characters.
I had this problem with this book as well. Although I was drawn to the his/her alternating chapters in the book, and at first could not put it down - by the "climax" at the end of it, I didn't like either Evie or Ben. Evie was so whiny I just wanted to punch her. Ben seemed so apathetic and passive, I wanted to punch him too!
However, the story of this long married couple and their relationship disintergrating was an interesting read by an author I will look out for in the future. ( )

By Jane McCafferty

Growing, aging, and evolving, is inevitable. It is life. It is meant to be. Ideally, a couple remains connected and does this together. That is the vow of marriage. Commitment is the root of the vow. It takes equal commitment from both people, and it must be sincere, from the heart.

Evvie and Ben have been together since college. Common childhoods and interests brought them together, sealing their bond.

As years pass and life happens, differences form. Ben becomes involved in the corporate world. Creating a career also provides a lifestyle for them as a couple. He feels this is the best road to take to achieve the goals best suited for their future.

Evvie holds onto her ideals and the freedom that comes with them. She clings to what the couple originally had together. Suddenly, she realizes that Ben has taken a different road, one without her. She becomes obsessed with the idea that they belong together, whatever the cost. She sets her mind on this idea, going to extreme lengths to keep them together.

The story of a couple is told in their alternating voices. It is an emotional story, taking you inside a marriage, revealing a couple who have grown apart. This novel explores the issue from the inside out. ( )

This book was not at all what I expected. I didn't want to read it at first, but was on a long trip and a friend whose opinion I respect handed it to me to pass time. I was engrossed in no time at all in this painful yet beautiful story.

Evvie and Ben are in love, but Evvie is idealistic, needy and a bit insane--she talks to herself in public and lacks true purpose despite her radical idealism and commitment to animal rights. She clings to her soulmate, Ben, to the point of smothering him. The years pass and as Ben gets older and changes, he can no longer bear the traits that once drew him to Evvie and he leaves her. Heartbroken and distressed, Evvie's behavior gets more and more crazy, especially when Ben moves on with another woman. As he tries to completely cut her off, she grows more and more deranged and hatches an insane plan to get him back.

As Evvie's scheme plays out, it's clear how far off the deep end she has gone--and it slowly becomes clear to Evvie herself. It's hard to watch Ben ignore her repeated cries for help, especially when they were once so in love. What I love about the book is the way it shows us how clearly this couple can never again be together, yet a part of each other will always be intertwined. ( )

At first, reading this novel was like seeing a bad accident: intensely disturbing, but impossible to look away. The novel details the unraveling of Ben and Evvie's marriage. Once deeply in love (and probably a tad bit codependent) the couple has drifted apart, and Ben has decided to end the marriage. Evvie, who still loves him and wants to hang on to the marriage, is sent on a downward spiral that threatens her sanity.

Initially the characters were a bit one-dimensional (clingy, neurotic wife and distant husband), but the writing was terrific enough to overshadow this. As the novel progressed, different layers of the characters were revealed such that the reader, presented with alternating narratives from Ben and Evvie's viewpoints, gets a sense of what it is to be them.

At the end of the day, no one walks away from the end of a marriage unscathed, no matter whose choice it is; there are no clean breaks, and no clear sinners or saints. Jane McCafferty fluently articulates the psychological messiness of the end of a relationship, and makes it impossible to turn away. ( )