Heart of the Matter
Author: Emily Giffin
Publisher: St. Martins Press
Date: May 6, 2010
Length: 400 Pages
This book review was written by guest reviewer Cindy Phelps Thomas.
About The Author
Emily Giffin is a graduate of Wake Forest University and the University of Virginia School of Law. After practicing litigation at a Manhattan firm for several years, she moved to London to write full time.
No Matter How Flat You Make A Pancake, It Still Has Two Sides
Nick & Tessa Russo have a wonderful relationship. Nick
is a world renowned pediatric plastic surgeon and Tessa has recently made the
decision to stay at home with their two young children. The couple is very involved socially and have
many friends.
Valerie Anderson leads a very different life from Tessa.
Valerie is a single mom working as a lawyer who depends heavily on her family
for emotional support. Valerie has no real friends due to the stigma that is
placed on her for being a single mom in the prestigious area that they live.
Tessa and Valerie have very little in common though they live so close to one
another, until the night of the accident. Valerie’s son, Charlie, is severely
burned and rushed to the hospital. This is the night Valerie and Charlie meet
Nick for the first time. Nick and Tessa slowly become more and more estranged,
while Valerie and Charlie are building a relationship with Nick.
Tessa finds
herself wondering if quitting her job and increasing her dependence on Nick is
causing him to become distant. Valerie is seeing a male figure in Nick that has
been missing in their lives for so long and finds herself thinking of him all
too often. Charlie is looking to Nick to finally have a dad.
Heart of the Matter takes a journey down
the road of love, trust, and forgiveness.
Will Nick and Tessa make it through
this obstacle in their life?
Has Valerie finally found someone worth fighting
for?
One thing is certain, they will all learn a little about themselves and
forgiveness.
My Thoughts
As
I read Heart of the Matter, I couldn’t
help feeling connected to both of the women in the novel. The character
development and the subject nature felt like they could be women I would
consider a friend. I liked the style of writing also. Emily Giffin lets the
reader experience each story through the eyes of the two characters by
alternating views every other chapter.
