Leaving

Leaving has been getting a lot of hype among bookish people, and the cover is beautiful, so I bought it. I regret that decision. I read 235 pages and had to stop. Things were getting ominous in the storyline, and my nightly reading ritual was becoming fraught. When I peeked at reviews after already having read most of the book (oops), I saw the word "haunting." I wasn’t sticking around for the spookfest. Things are bad enough in the news; I prefer my leisure reading to be diverting, not devastating.

If you're not highly sensitive like me, then pick up Leaving. The parts I did read were captivating. The story centers on a college couple finding each other again in middle age. The novel explores marriage, adult children dynamics and much more. The narration and characters seem a bit cold, but maybe that's intentional. This book is not warm and fuzzy, but it is original, engrossing and well-written. Check it out, if you dare.

AES