Book Review: One Summer

I had prescheduled review posts for several weeks when my son unexpectedly died in July. This was beneficial, because I didn't have to stress about writing book reviews. While I read very little for almost two weeks, I was surprisingly able to return to reading, even in my grief. It provided a distraction from the pain. But, I'm realizing, it has the feel of reading under water. My sense of how to review a book is greatly challenged. Even the outstanding books, don't feel as outstanding as they may have if I weren't reading under water. So, I apologize if my reviews lack luster or verve. I am lusterless, de-verved.

One Summer, by David Baldacci, is a book I checked out for listening on my car rides. After really enjoying Baldacci's Strangers in Time, I eagerly selected this novel (again, quickly, from the shelves). Jack Armstrong wants one more Christmas with his family. Doctors gave him weeks to live, and he's down to his final days. In a strange reversal of fortunes, his wife dies in a car accident.  Jack's kids are farmed out to family. Then, Jack begins to gain strength and defy his terminal diagnosis. Regaining his kids, he hopes to celebrate the summer where his wife grew up.

This novel is full of the conflicted dynamics that make up many families. There's no way around it, families are messy! Jack's is messy enough for two. So many emotions swirl: grief, jealousy, selfishness, arrogance, and spite. Will Jack and the kids get the summer they desired, or will their dreams be shattered by fractured family hostilities? I didn't like it as much as Strangers in Time, perhaps because it wasn't set in England. Moreover, I despised the mood music included in an attempt to ramp up the listener's emotional reaction. I think it was a clean read (maybe some language). Still, I'm willing to seek another Baldacci title.