Book Review: A man’s sudden death touches off seismic shifts in the lives of three women, wife-turned-widow Karen, neighbor Anna, and teacher—and closeted lesbian—Lou, in this affecting weeper about friendship and family. Rayner (Getting Even) takes a random tragedy on a morning commuter train from Brighton to London and parses it over the hours of six days plucked from half a year, dissecting the women’s emotional unraveling and eventual rebirth as stronger mothers, lovers, friends. The aching loss heaped swiftly upon Karen and her two young children, Molly and Luke, is reason enough to cry, but their search for solace turns from maudlin and mundane to insightful and fresh thanks in part to the pleasing retrospective flashbacks of this family’s life. “It’s his failings that made him who he was,” Karen confesses in her plaintive eulogy. And while Karen rebuilds her fractured family, best friend Anna contemplates the end of an abusive relationship with a charming drunk, and Lou finally trusts her heart enough to come out to a family she vastly underestimates. Rayner sets up a tricky emotional minefield for these vulnerable women, but deftly guides them to a place of power and truth.
My Review: What a difference a few moments in your life can make. Where things once made sence there is now confusion, where there was happiness, sadness has taken its place. For Karen , this was her life at that moment on the 7:44 am train. Her and her husband Simon where on the train to go and sign the papers for the purchase of a new house.When just minutes into the train ride Simon gets sick and dies of a heart attack. It is at the moment that Karen's life will be changed forever,as well as lives of many others.
Karen's friend Anna and a lady named Lou where on the train that morning.Lou witnessed the events taking place and tried to help while they went for the nurses to come but it was to late, it happened so fast. As the train made its way to the nearest stop to allow the passengers to exit , the nurses tried all the could as Karen watched her husband die.
It is at the time when Anna hails a cab to get to work and meets Lou.They share a cab and their lives are changed as well. Anna is called by Karen to let her know what has happened and that is when she realizes she was on that train. Anna introduces Lou to Karen in hopes that Lou can help Karen make some sense of why Simon had to die.
This is a story about Love , tragedy healing and friendship. One moment can change your course of the day. Pick this book up today , you will be touched by it.
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