With her clever dialog, twist on the extramarital affair and refusal to follow standard formula "happily ever after" plots prevalent in movies and literature, Alexandra Whitaker's novel is highly entertaining and a perfect beach read.
The premise of the story actually makes you think. Not all chick-lit books do this, outside of thinking about designer labels, that is.
Adam Dean is a father of two whose monotonous life in the suburbs pales in comparison to the sophisticated and toy-free life that his co-worker Valerie offers.
When Adam decides to leave his wife Sophie for Valerie, Sophie decides that she is the one who needs to leave and take a few months to rebuild her life as someone other than Sophie Dean.
As the primary caretaker of two young children, Adam is not able to lead the life he imagined with Valerie and their relationship must adjust to this new reality.
Another entertaining relationship is the frenemy interaction between Valerie and her childhood friend Agatha. Close as sisters, the two women care for each other deeply while also reveling in each others' misfortunes and constantly attempting to one-up each other.
Personal Notes
Details that make this story resonate with me even more include:
* The novel taking place in Boston, where I am from and currently live
* The male protagonist is English, like my boyfriend
* Agatha and Valerie are 39, which is how old I am
Given these coincidences, it is no wonder that I enjoyed Leaving Sophie Dean so much.
Quote of note and what I still need to remind myself after taking over 35 years to realize: "I confused what's real and matters with what's superficial and doesn't."
Leaving Sophie Dean is a book that I would re-read.
No comments:
Post a Comment