M. L. Broome has the most amazingly tortured characters. I simply adore how she lays bare their anxieties and shows the depths of human struggles. Gideon is a fantastic character with some pretty amazing growth. Sure, he has some setbacks, but the plot was really well written to bring out opportunities for him to man up, take responsibility for his actions and actually experience what he’d done to others so he could do better.
Denny took a little longer to find her bedrock. She clung to her fears and insecurities like a lifeline for so long. This character is a fantastic exposition on how our fears cannot serve us. All they do is keep us in limbo, unable to move in any direction. And getting unstuck can be so unimaginably hard, especially when we try to shoulder everything alone.
“In truth, you have to relinquish control, secure in the knowledge there will be a myriad of unexpected turns and rapids in the river of life. Chances are, you’ll hit them all.”
That line really hit home very powerfully. It is a truth many of us could do with hearing every day. We can’t control life. And we most certainly can’t control the people around us. The only thing we can do is be aware when a person in our lives chooses to go after something. It could be a dream; it could be love. It could be a marked change for the better. Seeing and acknowledging that and embracing it by also striving to do better, be better and create more beautiful moments for those around us. That is meaningful. It is important.
When I added this book to my reading pile, I happened upon a rather acerbic negative review. How could Denny take back Gideon, the cheater? How could he expect her to take his brat in? I found the review and the string of comments most unhelpful, because this group of people’s approach to life and relationships clearly expects perfection. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. And rejecting someone who has decided to improve themselves based on the failings of their past is soul-destroying. Expecting perfection also comes with the rather unfortunate caveat of unavoidable disappointment.
What bothers me most about such considerations is that they are becoming more and more common. Female characters who make mistakes or jump into situations without thinking are more and more often labeled “too stupid to live” while the male characters who make mistakes, and like Gideon, choose to change their ways and do better, are ridiculed. If anyone gives such a man a second chance, then they’re fostering misogyny. It’s a twisted way of viewing the world and it’s saddening. Because I know so many of these younger people, brainwashed into seeking perfection, will never find it and will ultimately suffer for it. That is sad.
I hope more readers will see the power of this and Broome’s other novels. We do not have to remain stuck and we can absolutely celebrate and admire those who turn their lives around and learn from their mistakes without having to constantly hold those mistakes up under their noses.
And on that note, I’d like to end this review with my favorite quote from this book.
“We all have skeletons and things we regret. None of us are infallible. My list is quite extensive, but I can’t change the things I’ve done. All I can promise to anyone is that I’ll try harder and do better in the future.”
Thank you, M.L. Broome for another fantastic, powerful read. Please keep them coming. ♥️
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