🍸🍸🍸1/2
Falling Apart & Other Gifts From the Universe
Catherine Ryan Hyde
Lake Union Publishing
286 Pages
Although I have other books by her on my Kindle, this is the first of hers that I have actually read. I liked it and it was a quick read but I did not love it. I think part of how I feel about this novel was that I found it a little far fetched in some ways. The protagonist, a woman who is an alcoholic, former military member and police officer, reached out to a young homeless man and a friend of his who is a drug addict. I did not quite buy that this character would have done this and this was an essential part of the book. It was the event that propelled all of the other plot points. Also, I thought the dialogue got dry at times.
I did not have trouble getting through the book but it did not move me and while certainly things happened, this was a largely a character driven novel. The characters were likeable enough, however, they felt a little distant. Given the growing connection between the protagonist and the young homeless man, I wanted to feel a bit more drawn to them. Part of the problem, I think, is that the protagonist was someone who tended to push people away, and I understand that but I think the author needs to be able to write around that and this did not seem to happen.
When I have some free time, I want to read something else by this author so that I can determine if it is her style or this particular book that did not grab me. In any event, this book is highly rated on Goodreads so there is every chance that it is me and not the book. There are times when our reading can be influenced by mood.
Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing me with access to this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
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