I immediately loved The Ever After.
In my head, I sounded like Anchorman’s Ron Burgundy when he says “I immediately regret this decision.” Except there’s no regret here whatsoever. Only contentment.
After a false start with another book, which shall remain nameless, I picked up The Ever After and quickly knew this was going to be a story I would not want to put down.
I started reading this at 10:30 on a Sunday night, which is very late for me considering how early I get up each morning. I was reluctant to head to bed after only a few pages into the story, despite the fact that sleep-deprived tears were already pricking the corners of my eyes. Just one more page! One more! It was like being six years old again (with a much more grown-up story).
Josie, the main character of The Ever After, is all hyped up from the very first paragraph, so you’re immediately pulled into the fray as it unfolds around her. The way author Sarah Pekkanen writes makes you feel like you’re there with Josie in the moment, sitting next to her in her car as she discovers right then and there that her husband is having an affair.
The anticipation around this discovery is excellently built. You know Josie’s found evidence, but you don’t know what. Then, you know she found an email, but you don’t know what it says. It’s kind of like someone leaning in conspiratorially and whispering, “Have I got a story for you!” which makes you instantly want to know, have to know, need to know more. When both you and Josie finally find out what that email says, you’re sucker-punched in the stomach right along with her.
And, still, even though it’s awful, you have to know more. Josie’s craving to learn everything about her husband’s infidelity becomes your craving; her need is that palpable.
I think what makes the story so arresting is how unnervingly familiar it is. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have a cheating husband, or cranky kids, or stop at Starbucks for coffee on Saturdays. You’ve been where Josie’s been, which is smack in the middle of your comfortingly mundane yet beloved life, then BOOM. Everything is shattered. The devastation that follows isn’t specific to a cheating husband. It’s just the fact that the life you thought you knew, the life you depended on, is suddenly revealed as false. And, that knowledge sets your whole world ablaze.
While I enjoy many genres of books, the stories that always get to me the most are the ones that feel like they could hit a little too close to home. For comparison’s sake, take The Woman in Cabin 10. Excellent thriller, sucks you in, keeps you guessing. I loved it and couldn’t put it down, but I also didn’t feel like I became part of the story. Maybe because it takes place on a cruise, and I hate cruises and will never go on one. Also, the situations in that book seem extremely unlikely to happen outside of a novel, soooo… yeah. It’s a good book, but it doesn’t stay with you long after you close the cover.
But, The Ever After? It’s all completely possible, whether we want to admit it or not, and that’s something that Pekkanen really pushes across to the reader. Josie’s story could become anyone’s story. Her life could become your life. I think that’s what makes the story so intriguing. You can’t pull away from it, like a rubbernecker at a traffic accident. You’re morbidly fascinated with what her life becomes because it’s what yours could become with just a small twist of fate.
It’s not all doom and gloom, though. Sure, there are plenty of the accusations, fights, and sleuthing that come with discovering a trusted partner has had an affair. But, a lot of the book focuses on portraying the relationship between Josie and her husband Frank in the form of flashbacks. The flashbacks are genuinely sweet and touching, almost achingly so since you know where their story eventually leads them. I really loved how these scenes showed the closeness of these two characters, first as a couple and then as a family, as well as how things slowly began to disintegrate without either of them realizing it. There’s also a lot of wry, dark humor in the book that I thoroughly enjoyed. It’s exactly what you would expect from a jilted and jaded woman, and you again feel it’s exactly how you would react if you were in Josie’s situation.
Reading this novel made me want to run around and touch everything I love in my life to make sure it’s exactly how I left it. My husband always laughs at me when I randomly say “I love you” to him while a book is in my hand. He’ll look at me at fondly, albeit slightly exasperatedly – because this is now a “thing” I do – and ask “What happened in the book?” He knows I tend to get emotionally involved in whatever I’m reading, and I tend to feel extra-special grateful for the husband and life I have when books take a tragic or upsetting turn. The Ever After makes you appreciate the small things that apparently many people take for granted.
I had read Pekkanen’s previous novel, The Perfect Neighbors, and while I enjoyed it, I don’t remember being this impressed by her writing. This novel immediately gets to the very core of you, touching upon the fear of having your fragile life blown apart by finding out everything you hold dear is a lie.
What are some novels that immediately brought you into the story, to the point where you felt you were living the events with the main character? Sound off below!
And, stay tuned for the book-inspired dessert: Chai Latte Bars!
Love your review! Added it to my TBR list 🙂
Thanks so much, Melissia! This was definitely one of my favorite books last year. I hope you like it!