Overview: Apart, they are broken, but together, they are whole.
Effie and Heath are famous. Not for anything they did, but for what happened to them as teenagers. Abducted and abused by the same man, they turned to each other for comfort until they were finally able to make their escape.
Now adults, their relationship is fraught with guilt and despair. Whether fighting or making love, their passion is strong enough to destroy them both — and Effie's not about to let that happen. She knows it's time for her to have a 'normal' relationship, and Heath is nothing but a constant reminder of the dark past they share. Heath, on the other hand, knows Effie is the only woman he can ever love. She may want to forget what happened, but he's convinced that they must face their past together in order to move forward. So while Effie continues to bring new men into her life, Heath becomes obsessed with proving he's the one she needs.
Then a new crisis arises and Effie begins to lose every scrap of self-control she ever had. As she struggles against her desire to return to the one man who understands her, she discovers that sometimes the only safety you find is with the person who is the most dangerous for you.
Purchase Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble iBooks
Publishing Date: November 24, 2015
Stars: 4
My Review: 4 hauntingly beautiful stars. This novel really tugs at the heartstrings and showcases how survivors of abuse struggle to move on. The chapters flip between the present and the past to give a really solid understanding of Effie and Heath. Effie and Heath have a very delicate, complicated, and interesting relationship. The two handle their suffering differently and that is shown throughout the novel.
Effie uses her body to drown out the issues she can't seem to deal with. While she may love Heath, she chooses to try and find a "normal" boyfriend and continues to have sex with a cop. She can't let go of Heath all together but finds herself in the constant struggle for a "normal" life.
Heath loves Effie more than anyone in the world. While he struggles to deal with the abuse that happened to him in the past, he has moved forward in less destructive ways than his lover. He can't help but run to her whenever she calls even if she uses him and breaks him over and over again. She's like his drug of choice and he's so far beyond addicted he can't seem to really make sense of anything.
I think what I really liked about this book is how the prospect of "normal" is taken, twisted and shown to be overrated. Who is to say what love should look like or who it should be with? The outside world is a mess so why is it that the outside world should be the marker for what kind of relationship you have and who you have it with? Effie and Heath have a connection no one else could ever hope to understand and their love is one of the purest things on the planet. Their feelings and comfort is what allowed them to move forward in life after the abuse they suffered as teenagers.
0 comments: