If You Left by Ashley Prentice Norton
Advanced Reading
Copy
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt/Mariner Books
I am going to be completely honest. I did not like this book
at all. Normally, I can find at least one or two things about a book that I can
say “Oh, well at least that part was good.” With this book there wasn’t a single
redeeming quality.
It starts out with Althea Willow, a wealthy housewife with
several mental illnesses. Being someone who is familiar with mental illness,
that part did not bother me at all. The first chapter begins with a suicide attempt that Althea survives even though she ends up in a mental hospital. This is not her first admission. She is soon released and
goes home to her adulterous husband and their adopted 9 year old daughter whom
she barely knows.
The whole book is basically about how much Althea does not
know a thing about her daughter Clementine and her half-hearted attempts to
bond with her. This woman literally has no desire whatsoever to be a mother.
She goes through the motions in an attempt to placate her insensitive ass of a
husband. He’s overly critical, treats her like a child, and hits on women right
in front of her face.
Althea barely exists. She has a ton of money, a husband she
once loved, a career she once enjoyed and a daughter who is dying for an ounce
of affection from her. You want to feel bad for her or feel some sympathy for
her but you simply can’t. There is not even one thing about her that is
remotely endearing. She has no spine except for one scene where she has an
incident with one of her husband’s mistresses.
The only person I felt anything for in this book was
Clementine. She was clearly a smart, vibrant young girl who wants her mother’s
love. Even when she begs for it, speaks the words out loud, Althea is incapable
of doing anything for her.
Don’t get me started on the ending. If this had been a
physical book instead of an e-book that I was reading on my tablet I would have
thrown it against the wall. It was THAT bad. All in all, I would recommend one
thing about this book. Avoid it.
I received and Advanced Reader Copy of this book from Netgalley.com
in exchange for my review.
As always if you have read this book and want to tell me how
right or how wrong I am, please feel free to comment below.
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