NEW RELEASE
Heart of the Matter - Emily Giffin (2010)
Tessa is used to having her family time with husband Nick interrupted by his work as a paediatric plastic surgeon. One night, at their anniversary dinner, Nick is called away to treat a boy, Charlie, who's been scarred in an accident. Over time, as Nick becomes closer to Charlie's mother, single lawyer Valerie, Tessa can sense her husband withdrawing from her. I have to admit my heart skipped a beat when Tessa's brother made an appearance. Unexpectedly it was Dex (from Something Borrowed/Something Blue), giving us an insight into how the result of a devastating affair plays out years later. But apart from the welcome blast from the past and some heart-warming moments between Valerie and her son, this tale about will-they-or-won't-they infidelity could have really been titled Something Old cos we've read it all before. On paper, there was nothing wrong with the story, told in alternating chapters from both women's perspectives. It was well-written, moving in parts, and you didn't know for sure how it would all end. But the heart of the matter was the story and its characters just didn't captivate. I guess I was expecting Something Special - and was disappointed not to have got it.
As the release of Emily Giffin's Heart of the Matter draws near, here's a look at the three covers on sale in the US, right, Britain, centre, and Australia, right.
The summary for Emily Giffin's next book, Heart of the Matter, has been released. It says: "As the wife of a leading paediatric plastic surgeon, Tessa Russo can't help but contemplate how fragile life can be. How one moment you can be going about an ordinary day, and the next, everything you once took for granted can be snatched from you. Tessa knows how lucky she is, still madly in love with her husband after seven years, with two beautiful children. Yet beneath the perfect facade, the cracks are beginning to show. Valerie Anderson takes nothing for granted. But with one phone call, her world is turned upside down forever. As a single mother, she was always protective of her son Charlie, and will live to regret how one seemingly insignificant decision leads to a terrible accident - one that will leave Charlie forever scarred. It is only when Nick Russo, Charlie's surgeon, enters their lives that Valerie finally dares to hope again. As the lives of two very different women dramatically intersect, they are forced to question everything they hold dear, and face a future that neither one had ever envisaged." Head to her publisher's website to get a look at the first chapter. Heart of the Matter is out in May.