Why is it that we always need a major event (often a tragedy) to open our eyes to what is right in front of us?
This is exactly what happens to June. Even as it seems as if her life is falling apart, there are other events in motion that (ultimately) help her figure out who she is and what she wants out of life.
That’s a simplistic explanation of the plot, but there is a lot more going on. The author weaves a compelling story, addressing several heavy topics along the way. I felt that some were more successfully included in the story than others, but it all still worked.
As I often say, you can read spoilers and plot details in other reviews. I’m here to give other observations.
One of the first things that struck me was “distance.” June’s husband was distant from her, as was her father (or was he really), her sisters were distant, June had to travel a distance to get answers…it was a major theme.
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The reason this hit me is that when I was still in school, my mom was a teacher and my dad worked for an airline. Every year when the school year was over, my mom and I would hop on a plane and fly standby to a fun destination.
(Living in California, that destination was often Hawaii. But I digress).
The point of this is my mom always said that creating distance was one of the best ways to change your frame of mind. For us back then, it was letting go of school and embracing the summer break.
For June, traveling to California and discovering the truth about her father, it was recognizing the path her life was on, how it didn’t really fit her, and that she had the power to change it. Of course, the distance from her home to California helped as well.
I understand why Caleb was a major catalyst for all of that. I am unsure how I feel about the whole “tortured artist” persona. It didn’t bother me, but it also sometimes distracted me.
While I found distance to be a compelling thread, I think the ultimate message is that in order to be true to oneself, hard choices have to be made. But really, shouldn’t that be the easiest choice of all?
Author Bio:
Melissa Wiesner is a night-owl who began writing novels about five years ago when her early-to-bed family retired for the evening. In 2019, she won the Romance Writers of America Golden Heart® Award in the Mainstream Fiction Category for her first novel. Melissa holds two Master’s Degrees in Public Health and Community Agency Counseling. Her day job is in Social Work where she often encounters people knocked down by hard times but who pick themselves up and keep going, just like the characters of her novels. Melissa lives in Pittsburgh, PA with her charming husband and two adorable children.
