No Turning Back by Susan Lewis.


"So many secrets, lies and burdens of shame. The truth was like the tide: no matter how far it might ebb, it would always make a return."

One of those easy reads but infuriatingly incredible to believe. Lies, deception and hypocrisy emerge to shatter the cosy existence of Eva, a famous ex-model living in the lap of luxury having shunned the limelight. The reason? The book begins by disclosing details about a vicious knife attack by a psychopathic maniac who had been stalking the beautiful Eva during the height of her fame. The attack was barbaric and life-threatening more so because Eva was pregnant at the time. She was fighting for her life but miraculously survived to give birth to a son. She was left badly disfigured.
"There were so many of them, cruel jagged gashes torn into the flawless fabric of her skin, grinning, like silent, gruesome mouths."

Eva's cold-hearted and selfish rejection of her son, unable and unwilling to love and cherish him resulted in his immediate adoption and once Eva receovered it was something she lived to regret. Nick, the father of the child rejected Eva immediately after the attack and Eva's vengeance in punishing such a callous act was in turn to abandon his son-her own flesh and blood.

This chick-flick romance begins in an interestingly dramatic way then plunges into mediocrity and ends on a cringingly predictable happy-ever-after note. As a beach-read it is more than adequate but too contrived and spoiled by this predictability for better praise.

To an outsider, Eva's world seems perfect then crash, bang, wallop reality sinks in to a topsy-turvy hell before divine intervention falls on them like manna from heaven. Forgiveness cloaked as a religious almost divine analogy absolves the betrayal of trust and loyalty. Just like that. It ends on a hopeful note typifying Susan Lewis' craft as a writer of romance. Forgiveness transcends sin.

"Where Are They Now?" Who would have thought that an article written 16 years later would have reminded Eva of a painful time in the past that she had hoped had been buried, that sometimes the past invades the present and can impinge on the future? The story moves on 16 years where life is looking good for Eva although she is secretly pining for the son she gave away. She married her "rock" who turns out to be the biggest hypocrite in the story alongside sister Patty. Eva has been naive, what an understatement! When she has a pitiful showdown with Don she cannot accept his infidelities:
"Don would never cheat on her, or lie, or do anything to hurt her, he wouldn't lie, he never lied!"
Even Jasmine, Don's daughter had warned Eva: "You know what they say about men who dump their wives, if they've done it once they'll do it again." Her own mother had been dumped by Don so she knew what she was talking about! Now it was Eva's turn.

The truth can sometimes hurt and in Eva's case it almost destroys her. She had been betrayed by her husband and Patty, her sister. Shocked. Incensed. Foolish. Torn apart and filled with vengeance. A myriad of powerful emotions to contend with. Her life seemed to be inexorably falling apart.

The fashion industry and the world of glamour and its expensive trimmings seem superficial. The adult world is characterised by insecurity, confusion and paranoia. Patty is downright irritating wearing her heart on her sleeve, carrying the guilt of the world on her shoulders in a saintly fashion when she is relishing the love and physical contact of her sister's husband.

Don just seems to enjoy changing partners, like a ping-pong ball that bounces from one court to another. He deserves to be rejected. Two wives down. Next? Not to be trusted anywhere near a pretty female. The worst type of male surely?

So, whilst the major part of the novel focuses on Eva's betrayal and deception, the other development concerns her search for her longlost son with the possibility of a reconciliation from the love-rat, Nick. But there is a happy-ever-after if you believe in those sort of things.....Enough said.

Publisher: Random House.   ISBN: 978-0-099-55072-3

COPYRIGHT 2013. Permission must be obtained from the author before any of this review is reproduced.

Comments

  1. C.G.Walker18 May 2013 at 06:50

    Another thoughtful and detailed review from Carol Naylor. A review that is both informative and candid and, on this occasion, not sparing on criticism when deemed appropriate.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Carol Naylor19 May 2013 at 03:58

      Thank you for the comments. The book is readable but lacks depth and credibility. Characterisation is superficial. The men are appallingly weak and the women neurotic. I enjoy realism and real tension not make-believe twaddle!

      Delete
  2. Carol Naylor9 July 2013 at 14:48

    I have just reviewed Clive Walker's short story selection: Seeking Wisdom.

    ReplyDelete

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