Finished 12-19-11, rating 4/5, fiction, 323 pages, pub.2011
Michael and Julia had a marriage that started with love and turned into indifference. They had started out West Virginia poor, but ended up Washington DC millionaires. When Michael died for four minutes his whole life turned on its head. Now, he wanted a real relationship with Julia and she wasn’t sold on the idea, but that wasn’t Julia’s biggest problem. Michael wanted to give away everything. He wanted to make amends for the years of lying and neglect his power had caused.
The premise is fascinating. I love books about marriages because each one is complex, unique. This was no exception. The chilliness in the marriage happened over time and it is only after a gradual reveal of their past that I totally got them as a couple. I thought the timing of the story and the way that it went from past to present was perfect.
In this story Michael wants to give everything away and Julia has fallen in love with all the amenities of the rich. I get Julia not wanting to give up heated tiles or a jacuzzi, (who would once you had them?) but her repeated rejection of Michael got to be too much for me. She was not a nice person and even when I read her backstory I never really got past the problem of her superficiality. She made progress and grew as a person and the end of the book could have helped me feel better about her growth, but I think it was a cop out in that regard. The complexity of the book was lost in the sad, but pat, conclusion.
It may see that I didn’t like it and that’s not true. It’s just that the distance I felt from Julia kept the whole story at arm’s length for me. I loved Julia’s friend, Isabelle and was really invested in her story more than Julia’s. Even with my complaints I still shed a tear, which I found surprising, so I must have been at least somewhat invested! I think I’m in the minority for not loving this one. A good read for fans of stories about complex relationships.
I checked this out of the library.
Stacy's Books 
I enjoyed this one and shed a few tears too.
This sounds like a really interesting read. I’ve read similar reviews about this book so I think I’ll add it to my tbr list. Great review.
This is the first book in a long time that made me cry. I was so surprised by that! It’s on my 2011 Favorites list.
Sounds like a book I would enjoy. The story intrigues me, as does the complex relationship and the fact that it made you cry even when you didn’t feel totally connected to the story!
I liked this one more than you did. I think Julia got caught up in the trappings and power that comes along with money and just couldn’t let go of it.
I have this but keep avoiding reading it. I think I don’t like that it sounds depressing!
It’s difficult to truly like a book if you can’t understand and feel close to the main character. This does seem like a good book on relationship though.
I love books about marriages, and this sounds like it has a cool set-up. And, better yet, I have the book thanks to the generosity of a fellow blogger.
I’m not sure about this one. Like the premise, but I think I have to be in a good frame of mind for it. Thanks for the review.
I too enjoy stories about marriage for the same reasons as you do. It sounds like this one will be a complex read.
I’m always fascinated by how couples ended up being couples and their journeys. You’re right; each one is different and worthy of exploration.
I want to read this one…sounds very interesting to me!