The Liability of Love Published by She Writes Press on July 20, 2021 Source: Review copy
Genres: Fiction / Family Life / Marriage & Divorce, Fiction / Feminist, Fiction / Literary, Fiction / Romance / Workplace, Fiction / Women
Pages: 293
Find the Author: Website, Facebook, Goodreads, Amazon, Instagram
Format: ARC
Buy on Amazon
Goodreads
Margaret Carlyle is searching for an epic love as she heads to college in 1979 after the loss of her beloved mother to cancer. When a charismatic boy named Anders rapes her on their first date, she wants nothing more than to forget it ever happened. But as the years pass, each life decision she makes seems driven by what happened that night.
When Anders becomes famous as an actor, Margaret can no longer ignore her past—and she must make choices that will affect everyone around her, most notably her husband, Douglas, and Fitz, the man who has loved her patiently since college.
This deeply moving novel is a window into class and privilege, the mysteries of marriage, and the destructive power of secrets—and an examination of what happens when we try to bury the past, as well as the consequences of confronting it.
Review
“Oh, the liability of love. It warped the senses, bent time, obliterated brain cells, and yet, there was no way to be held harmless. No waiver one could sign, no release forms. It was a risk few people had any control overtaking.” This is a romance story about a love triangle of sorts. Three people entangled together by circumstances. Two are married, and one sits on the outside, always longing to be on the inside. Margaret is plagued with miscarriages throughout her marriage and thoughts of what could have been. At times it was heart-wrenching and moving, and I could see myself in the characters as they made choices and tried to navigate the loss of children and keeping a marriage afloat. Love can be brutal, truthful, and hidden sometimes, and we need to keep trying.
About Susan Schoenberger
Susan Schoenberger is the award-winning author of A Watershed Year and The Virtues of Oxygen. With a linotypist as a grandfather, she has ink in her blood and worked as a journalist and copyeditor for many years, including for The Hartford Courant and The Baltimore Sun. She currently serves as Director of Communications at Hartford Seminary, a graduate school with a focus on interfaith dialogue. She lives in West Hartford, Connecticut, with her husband Kevin. They have three grown children and a small dog named Leo
| Rating Report | |
|---|---|
| Plot | |
| Characters | |
| Writing | |
| Pacing | |
| Cover | |
| Overall: | 3.5 |
