This book is my nightmare. I remember back when I was engaged to Dan, waking up in a cold sweat and calling him to make sure that he still loved me and he would never leave me or cheat on me. In my dreams I would catch him canoodling with another woman or admitting to sordid affairs. Even though he is now promised to me ’til death do we part, I still have the occasional nightmare where I am not the only woman. My husband is a good man, but for some reason this fear plagues me.
Writing (and reading) is one of the ways that we process our fears so it is no wonder that I was drawn to The Comfort of Lies. The story is a tangled one. Tia loves Nathan. Nathan is married to Juliette. Unbeknownst to Nathan, Tia places the child that he fathered up for adoption and Caroline reluctantly becomes her mother to please her husband. Eventually, all of these families collide to form the plot of Randy Susan Meyers’ book The Comfort of Lies.
The Comfort of Lies is completely character driven. The narrative shifts between voices and the reader is invited to see the story from multiple perspectives. The three primary female characters are given the most time in the narrator’s role while Nathan is allotted two chapters.
Because this novel is propelled by its characters, one of the biggest criticisms is that the characters aren’t entirely likable, and possibly aren’t even relatable. While it is true that I did not find myself intimately drawn to any of the characters, I am not sure if that in itself is a flaw. In The Comfort of Lies we are invited to see women in their most vulnerable and stressed states: as they are in love, pregnant, raising children, and in a failing marriage. Understandably, they are not the perfect shells of women we see of our friends and acquaintances on social media. This book invites us to go deeper, into their heads, until we find that we don’t like everything we learn.
Because of circumstances set in motion by one man who happens to connect them all, these three women – Tia, Juliette, and Caroline – are placed at odds with one another. All that they know to be true or have imagined to expect in life has been rocked and this novel chronicles the aftermath. Should we expect perfection? Should we expect likability?
As I read, I noticed that many of the character flaws that caused me to dislike these characters are the same flaws that I struggle with. As a mother and a woman, I struggle with selfishness and vanity. I sometimes wish I could prioritize my own passions over my role as a mother. And yes, I want to escape the job of parenting more often than I care to admit.
“Motherhood was little more than a series of repetitive commands and tasks these days.” (Chapter 6 – Juliette)
In light of our own flaws, can we disparage these characters for theirs? If we aren’t drawn to Tia or Juliette or Caroline while we read their innermost (and sometimes quite private) thoughts, then what does that say about us, the reader? Should we blame Tia for loving another woman’s man? Should we blame Juliette for focusing on her looks when she is fighting for her husband’s attention? Should we blame Caroline for caring for other children when she has to find love for her own? Can we blame any of the women for wishing away (or giving away) their chance at motherhood?
I think any book that causes the reader to question themselves is a powerful book. The Comfort of Lies might be an easier read if one of the characters had been written as entirely good and likable, but I don’t think the novel would have been as strong that way. Randy Susan Meyers wrote an engaging, thought-provoking, well-written novel, and I enjoyed reading it. With a character-driven plot and a story-line that could come right out of the tabloids, it would be the perfect beach read.
Join us tonight (June 26th) at 9pm Eastern for a MomsReading book club discussion of The Comfort of Lies. Discussion will be taking place on Facebook. Make sure you Like MomsReading to participate!
**If you want to participate in MomsReading next month, then jump right in! It is a freebie month, which means I want YOU to pick the book that YOU will read during the month of July. I will be posting discussion questions on Facebook throughout July about the book you are reading, so stay tuned and participate.**
In August we’ll be back to our regular scheduled programming. Our book for August is Love Anthony by Lisa Genova.
Did you read The Comfort of Lies? I’d love to read your review! Leave your link in the comments and grab the button (or link back here) so that others can join us!
Great review! You brought out some great points, and also share very similar thoughts and feelings I have concerning this book.
I really enjoyed this read, it took me a while to get to due to packing and then moving. But once I found time to pick it up, I could not put it down!
Looking forward to tonight’s discussion, I hope to be awake for it! An evening coffee may be needed. ;)
Thanks Mandy! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and could read it quickly. I look forward to having you join the chat again tonight! (And yeah, sorry for the lateness of it. I just try to make sure everyone across the country can join in the evenings.)
Laura O’Rourke recently posted..Book Review: The Comfort of Lies
I admit, I didn’t get this book for the book club. #MomBrain
It does sound like a good read, so I’ll add it on my Goodreads list :)
So sorry I can’t join you tonight for the chat, but I’ll definitely add some suggestions for July’s book!
Alison recently posted..Rockin’ A Love Story Of A Bump
Tsk tsk tsk, Alison. (Just kidding).
I think I described what’s going on in July in a confusing way. (I’ve since updated it). In July everyone reads whatever they want. I’m hoping people will choose one book to finish in July and I’ll post some discussion questions throughout the month over on Facebook to keep people engaged. :) Easy peasy!
Laura O’Rourke recently posted..Book Review: The Comfort of Lies
Oh, okay, yes I totally misunderstood :)
Though it would be fun to open up book suggestions, yes? Heh.
I ran a book club a couple of years ago that went entirely on book suggestions and voting. It was awful. I admit to being totally scared of doing that now. ;)
Laura O’Rourke recently posted..Book Review: The Comfort of Lies
Sounds like great read. I could not get this book on time out from my library . For the next one I would love to help pick one out for July. You write a great review by the way. This will go on my goodreads as well !
Alma recently posted..Girl Coffee Time – #IPPP
Libraries are hard to manage sometimes, aren’t they? Thank you so much for saying such kind things about my review! :) It brings me right back to school and so I always get a little nervous writing them, but love dissecting a book in such a way.
As for this coming month, the goal is to have everyone pick their own book to read and finish. Throughout the month, I’ll ask some discussion questions over on the MomsReading Facebook page to encourage engagement. :)
Laura O’Rourke recently posted..Book Review: The Comfort of Lies
This book sounds like a fun quick read. Anything with characters who have secrets from each other that is not just a romance novel? I like it. My favorite book is East of Eden. Talk about secrets!
On a random note (well, not because you mentioned it), I have never done a book club. The thought of being assigned to read something scares me. I am usually the “assigner” and I like to pick my own free reading stuff. I really loved this review though, and am going to add it to my Want to Read list!
Katie Sluiter recently posted..Ellen Foster {book review}
My favourite part of a book club is reading with other people. If you want to, feel free to check out the discussion we just had on Facebook. I am currently on a book-high from it. I always finish a book and just want a chance to unwrap it with other people, but unless there is a group of people reading it together, it can be hard to find people who still have the book fresh in their minds or who have even read the book. That’s why I like being in a book club.
As for the “assignments”, it seems like most of the participants pick and choose what they are interested and/or able to read. It is fairly chill. Don’t feel like you need to join, of course, but you never know – it might be right up your alley. :)
I’m super glad you liked the review. Thanks!
Laura O’Rourke recently posted..Book Review: The Comfort of Lies
I really did like this book, and I loved the discussion. I think we felt the same way about a lot of it!
Greta recently posted..Rocking the Bump (sort of)