It's Friday . . . time to share book excerpts with:
- Book Beginnings on Fridays hosted by Rose City Reader, where bloggers share the first sentence or more of a current read, as well as initial thoughts about the sentence(s), impressions of the book, or anything else that the opening inspires.
- The Friday 56 hosted by My Head is Full of Books,
where you grab a book and turn to page 56 (or 56% of an eBook), find
one or more interesting sentences (no spoilers), and post them.
********************
Page 56 (actually page 55, because page 56 is blank): She anchored her toes on the bottom, then moved her knees, watching her legs create waves underwater. All thoughts about the woman's phone call, and what might come of it, disappeared.
********************
My thoughts: This portrait of a traditional 1950's marriage is, on the surface, the norm for the era. Behind the facade, however, are a flawed husband and wife, neither of whom has lived up to their full potential. They are keeping deep secrets from each other and living unfulfilled lives. Their inability and unwillingness to communicate honestly threaten the health and continuity of their relationship. With the phrase "living lives of quiet desperation" springing to mind, The Most is a concise, engrossing read.
********************
From Goodreads: It’s November 3, 1957. As Sputnik 2 launches
into space, carrying Laika, the doomed Soviet dog, a couple begin their
day. Virgil Beckett, an insurance salesman, isn’t particularly happy in
his job but he fulfills the role. Kathleen Beckett, once a promising
tennis champion with a key shot up her sleeve, is now a mother and
homemaker. On this unseasonably warm Sunday, Kathleen decides not to
join her family at church. Instead, she unearths her old, red bathing
suit and descends into the deserted swimming pool of their apartment
complex in Newark, Delaware. And then she won’t come out.
A
riveting, single-sitting read set over the course of eight hours, The
Most is an epic story in one single day, masterly breaching the
shimmering surface of a seemingly idyllic mid-century marriage,
immersing us in the unspoken truth beneath.
Hmmm...well, honestly, this one sounds a little depressing. And cold. November in Delaware and in a pool. Brrr! Ha!
ReplyDeleteI read this one. Then StoryGraph categorized it as a thriller. I disagree. There is a mystery of course. Why won't she get out of the pool?
ReplyDelete