What
if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to
someone else?
Chris and Claire
Canton’s marriage is on life support. Downsized during the recession and out of
work for a year, Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can
reach him, not even Claire. When he’s offered a position that will keep him
away from home four nights a week, he dismisses Claire’s concern that time
apart could be the one thing their fragile union can’t weather. Their suburban
life may look idyllic on the outside, but Claire has never felt so disconnected
from Chris, or so lonely.
Local police
officer Daniel Rush used to have it all, but now he goes home to an empty house
every night. He pulls Claire over during a routine traffic stop, and they run
into each other again at the 4th of July parade. When Claire is hired to do
some graphic design work for the police department, her friendship with Daniel
grows, and soon they’re spending hours together.
Claire loves the
way Daniel makes her feel, and the way his face lights up when she walks into
the room. Daniel knows that Claire’s marital status means their relationship
will never be anything other than platonic. But it doesn’t take long before
Claire and Daniel are in way over their heads, and skating close to the line
that Claire has sworn she’ll never cross.
******
Let
me start off by saying there will be a
couple spoilers in this review. To me, they aren’t major but they may seem
major to you. So here’s your last warning y’all… check yourself before you
wreck yourself.
I
picked up this book knowing it may be a little difficult for me to read. See, I
don’t normally care for books that involve cheating. It angers me and then I
end up disliking the characters so I don’t want them to be happy. (That doesn’t
make a bad person, right?! Don’t answer that!) Of course there are a few
exceptions to every rule, and I knew going into this book that there was a strong
possibility it would involve cheating; I mean, the title is Covet for crying out loud. But I love
Tracey Garvis-Graves’s writing, and I was willing to give it a shot. By the end
of the book, I was so incredibly glad I did.
This
is the story of Kansas couple, Claire and Chris, and their struggle to keep
their marriage intact through depression, job loss, wandering eyes, and a
husband who never seems to be home. There are no horribly damaged characters or
huge, monumental moments that could make or break their marriage. It’s real. It’s
something that could be happening to your neighbors. It’s something that is happening to so many families across
the country. The family that seems to have it all, but behind closed doors, is
holding on by threads. A quote from the first chapter describes it perfectly:
“We’re the
Cantons. Sun-kissed, all-American, picture-perfect. By all appearances, we’re
the ideal suburban family. As long as you don’t look to closely.”
While
Chris is traveling for work five days a week, Claire develops a friendship with
a local police officer, Daniel. It starts out innocent enough and gradually
turns into something that could firebomb Claire’s family. They start having
weekly “dates” at Daniel’s house, they text constantly, they talk on the phone
before bed, they go for motorcycle rides, they go to lunch, they go to dinner –
they start acting like a couple. While there were only a couple physical acts
between Claire and Daniel that made me uncomfortable, their relationship as a
whole did. I hit about 80% and started feeling resentment towards Claire. I was
growing more and more upset with Daniel for acting this way with a married
woman. (See, what did I tell you? This is what happens.) But do you know what kind
of saved this book for me? The ending. It made me cry, it warmed my heart, and
it shows you that the light of love may dim during your marriage at times, but
that doesn’t mean you have to snuff it out before it reignites and burns
brighter than ever.
Tracey’s
writing never ceases to amaze me, and while I didn’t like Covet as much as I did her debut novel, On the Island, it’s still a terrific read. This story is
simplistic in such a wonderful way and you’ll easily find yourself wrapped up
in Kansas suburbia with the Cantons and all of their neighbors, who have just
as many problems and secrets hidden behind the walls of their homes as Claire
and Chris. Would I recommend this novel? Absolutely. I am forever a Tracey fan,
and she earned some brownie points
with Covet; not only is it set in
Kansas, but Chris is a KU alum! I graduated from KU and am a die-hard Jayhawk,
so I can’t think of a more appropriate way to end this review than by saying my
three favorite words…. ROCK CHALK
JAYHAWK! :-)
MY RATING: 4 STARS
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