Forever, Interrupted: A Novel

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I deliberately took lots of time to read this one because I don't want to rush through it. Reading about grief is painful and real. But helpful. Her characters always SUFFER, but something about them makes me want to SUFFER WITH THEM (i need psychiatric evaluation) The moving and heartbreaking debut novel from the bestselling author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Daisy Jones & The Six . There are very few books though that have ever made me cry when I was writing my review, but this is now apparently one of them. I was just now listening to music as I was writing and looking through quotes from the book to use, and I read this one (below) and teared right up... I’d been up for about three and a half hours by the time I saw her. She looked like she hadn’t been up for five minutes. Ana is tall and lanky with long brown hair that falls far beyond her shoulders and perfectly matches her golden brown eyes. She was born in Brazil and lived there until she was thirteen, and it’s still noticeable every once in a while in some of her words, mostly her exclamations.

Oooooh, and this book has a movie deal!! Dakota Johnson will be starring as Elsie. Right now, there isn't too much more info on it, but I'll keep everyone posted as soon as we hear more about it! The police officer isn’t rushed; he isn’t running on adrenaline like me. He knows there is nothing to hurry for. He knows my husband’s dead body can wait. First thing -- I cried three times. Once right in the beginning when Ben died, and twice later on at poignant moments of healing. But this isn't a book that I sobbed my way through. Even though the actual subject matter of losing a spouse is deeply painful, the focus of this book is on Elsie's healing. He grabs my hand and leads me into the front of his police car. He uses his siren to break through traffic and I see the streets of Los Angeles in fast-forward. They have never looked so ugly. The plot of Forever, Interrupted isn’t strictly linear and, instead, alternates between Ben and Elsie’s courtship and Elsie’s mourning. How did this affect your reading experience? Why do you think the author made this narrative choice?

The mother-in-law, Susan, who is also grieving over her son - and the recent loss of her husband of thirty years - wants all rights over Ben’s dead body- cremation included. The story takes place over the span of one year. Told in alternating timelines, it switches between June through December (Elsie's life without Ben) and January through June (Elsie and Ben's relationship). The story begins with Elsie and Ben's final moment together, and takes off from the point where she's told her husband has died and meets her mother-in-law.

No matter how strong you are, no matter how smart you are or tough you can be, the world will find a way to break you. And when it does, the only thing you can do is hold on.”This is a beautiful story. It’s emotional but not as maudlin as I thought it might get. The book alternates between tracing the course of Elsie and Ben's relationship and the present day, as she navigates her new reality. I don’t know,” he says, starting to rub my feet again. “I just like the idea of both our names together.” Elsie Porter experiences great loss when her Forever is interrupted just 9 days after marrying Ben, the love of her life. She meets her mother-in-law, Susan, at the hospital for the first time following Ben’s death. Susan’s reception toward Elsie is far from pleasant.

My heart didn’t skip a beat. I had no idea he was “it”; it was “he.” He was the man I’d dreamed about as a child, wondering what my husband would look like. I was seeing this face I had wondered about my whole life and it was right here in front of me and I didn’t recognize it. All I thought was, He’ll probably get his pizza before I get mine.Touching and powerful...Reid masterfully grabs hold of the heartstrings and doesn't let go. A stunning first novel.”​ — Publishers Weekly (starred review)