Friday, March 18, 2011

#BookReview: The Lies That Bind - D.L. Sparks

If your husband cheats on you, is it fair of him to give you a time limit for getting over it?  That topic was broached the other night on the Black 'n Bougie radio show the other night and the answers varied.  Overall, the panel of male guests said that women were expected to forgive their men, but men were not ready to be so forgiving.  Author D.L. Sparks captures that very sentiment in The Lies That Bind.

Dr. Teresa McCall is married to a cheater.  Of course, let him tell it, he only cheated because Teresa worked so much.  As a therapist building her practice, Teresa does put in long hours.  Donovan knew that when they got married, but now that he's established as a partner and owner in investment banking, he'd prefer if she stayed home and had some babies.  If she can't do that, at least cut back on her hours at work, right?

No matter how much she tries, Teresa can't get past the fact that Donovan was emotionally connected to another woman. So when the opportunity to have an affair of her own presents itself, it doesn't take much for her to give in to temptation.  After all, what's good for the goose is good for the gander.  The only problem is Teresa is in over her head and has no idea of just how much.

What did you like about this book?
It was an extremely quick read.

What didn't you like about this book?
Teresa is extremely naive.  The quickness with which she hops in bed with a stranger seems a great contradiction to the person that she is originally portrayed as.  And I know that doctors make the worst patients, but it was hard to believe that a therapist would allow marital issues fester for two years without either taking steps toward divorce or participating in serious therapy herself.

What could the author do to improve this book?
I never felt like Donovan's side of the story was truly told.  The reasons for his anger, cheating, etc. weren't explored in depth.  Given that his cheating is what drove the story line, it deserved more attention.  The best friend, Renee, seemed to swoop in occasionally to give a dose of advice, provide an alibi and invite Teri to church.  Either fleshing out the characters more or completely removing some of them would have made it a smoother, more believable, read.






227pp
Published January 2010

Theme: Cheatin' Is by Millie Jackson

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