Sara Lancaster left Georgia after she is raped. She vowed to stay away as long as she possibly could. However, she is forced to return home when her father becomes ill. With her eight-year-old daughter Alana in tow, Sara’s past meets the present and it’s both bittersweet and hopeful.
Jacob Wyler left Georgia under a cloak of shame. His rich and influential family was brought to near ruin in a trail of unfortunate events. His brother raped Sara Lancaster, his sister Naomi died in a car accident, his father Tom committed suicide, his mother Birdie, normally a cold and indifferent woman, became insufferable.
Jacob sought out work in faraway places as an astrophysicist while simultaneously attempting to rebuild his identity. However, visions of his deceased sister lead him to return home.
In Georgia, Jacob and Sara’s paths cross. Things get convoluted when love develops in the most unlikely of ways.
I read this story as a part of Libby’s Together We Read campaign. This was a very layered story. The theme of forgiveness was evident. I found the building blocks the author used to present forgiveness in the story to be unconventional. I personally found it difficult to grasp the idea of the romantic love that developed between Sara and Jacob. The idea for the concept was explained in the back of the book in A Conversation with the Author.
I do know love can form under unlikely circumstances. However, Sara didn’t want to speak about Daniel, barely wanted to utter his name, or want to see him. Sara’s reluctance and hang-ups about Daniel was still very apparent throughout the book, and rightfully so. So, her falling in love with his identical twin felt out of place to me.
Alana was the bright shining star for me in the book, such a breath of fresh air. She brought everything together. She was the healing source in more ways than one. I also enjoyed seeing the warmth displayed in Sara’s family. Sara’s father speaking only in poems was intriguing. I would have liked to know more about why he chose this way to speak. Overall, I liked this story. It was rich and intriguing.
Rating 8/10
FOREVER BOOK FEVER 