Sandy M’s review of Covet by Tracey Garvis Graves
Women’s Fiction published by Dutton Adult 17 Sep 13
I so thoroughly enjoyed Tracey Garvis Grave’s On the Island and its followup novella, Uncharted, that I had to read her next offering. Just as in those two previous reads, in this book, she makes you think. She makes you feel. She might even make you uncomfortable with this very serious issue, so pick it up, get comfy for a tangle of emotions, and then decide for yourself how far someone can or is willing to go in coveting what they don’t have.
Chris and Claire Canton have been slowly growing apart. Chris has lost his job, his means of providing for his family, and though he has confidence he’d be able to find another fairly soon, it’s a year before he goes back to work. That year sees him withdraw into himself with each passing day, leaving Claire to run the household and take care of the children. When he finds a new position, it requires him to travel. A lot. This only throws salt on the wound that has gouged its way into this union, and Claire does her best to be positive and support her husband. But it’s very difficult being alone, making decisions alone, and reassuring her children that all is well in their world – alone.
Her first interaction with Daniel, a police officer, is when he pulls her over for a taillight that has gone out. Admiration of aesthetics on both sides, they each go about their day and life as planned. However, a seed is planted. Daniel is handsome and single. Looking for someone to share his life with, after a failed relationship. When he interacts with Claire again, that seed begins to sprout, but he stays his distance. She’s married. They agree to be friends, because they enjoy each other’s company. You know from that point on that someone is doomed for disaster.
Chris, you’d think, would be the bad guy in this story. But that’s where you’d underestimate Tracey Garvis Graves. This man loves his wife, and he knows she’s slipping away. He takes responsibility for his actions and tries to heal the rift, but is he too late? By this time Claire calls on Daniel when she has car trouble, they’re meeting at least once a week for a movie or lunch, and she’s spending more and more time at his house. You can see them page by page fall in love, with Chris in the background lamenting what his marriage has come to, missing his wife, but not knowing how to make things better.
To make things much more emotional, Ms. Graves has written each character in first person, giving you a closer look at their feelings and emotions as everything unfolds. Of course, there is more from Claire as she wades her way through not only her everyday situations but also her neighbors. We get marriages in differing states to Claire’s own, and even those don’t go exactly how you’d expect. In the end, you have to decide: does Claire cheat on her husband? How far is too far? Can a woman love two men at the same time? And plenty of other questions that Ms. Graves pushes to the forefront with her clear, concise, straightforward writing. She doesn’t need flowery prose to push her characters to their limits.
Tracey Garvis Graves knows how to sock it to you, no matter the issue. You’d be crazy not to open one of her books, because you’d be missing out on some of the best stories and characters in contemporary fiction today. I know if you’d give her a chance, you’d make sure to never miss any of her books. I know. I’m already there.
Grade: A+
Summary:
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.
No excerpt available.
