Heart of the Matter

I am amazed at how Emily Giffin can write from so many different points of view, and yet, several times when reading her books, I say to myself "That is exactly what it feels like. How does she know?"

This book is no different. The story centers around two women, Valerie and Tessa. Tessa is married to Dr. Nick Russo, who is treating Valerie's son (burned in an accident). The story is told from the alternating points of view of the two women. I won't go into too much detail about the plot, as I don't want to spoil or give away too much. Basically, Nick Russo is married to Tessa. Their life has fallen into routine, revolves around their children, and their well-to-do social circle in Wellsely, MA, where keeping up appearances is everything. (If you are from around Boston, like I am, you know what that means. lol)
Meanwhile, Valerie, a single mother who has worked hard for everything she and her son have, feels as if all they have is each other and little else. When Dr. Nick steps into the picture as Charlie's surgeon, the two end up spending a lot of time together and, well, they become attracted to each other, but I won't say whether or not anything happens. Do they or don't they? Read the book and see.

All in all, Giffin does something that I never thought I would do in a novel such as this--she made me feel for BOTH women. You really can't help it. She writes about each in such a way, about what is missing in their lives, about what they yearn for, and their need to make it right, that you can't help but feel exactly what they feel as the story unfolds.

I read this in a couple of days. Every chapter that went by, I wanted to read the next one, because I just had to know what was going to happen, and what was the outcome. I have to say this book addresses another area of possible infidelity that few touch on--the emotional affair. Nick gets so wrapped up in valerie and shares such intimate moments (through just talking--no spoilers here!) that you have to ask yourself, is an emotional affair even worse than a physical one?

Such a great, though provoking read. Highly recommended, not your run of the mill chick lit.

Disclaimer: I have not read "Something Borrowed" and "Something Blue". The characters from those novels make an appearance here and in effect spoil the endings of those books. Not a huge deal, but if you have your heart set on reading those two books, read them BEFORE you read "Heart of the Matter".

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