Summary: Evi—a classically-trained ballerina—was nine months pregnant when her husband Eamon was killed in the line of duty on a steamy morning in July. Now, it is winter, and Eamon's adopted brother Dalton has moved in to help her raise six-month-old Noah.Whiskey & Ribbons is told in three intertwining, melodic voices: Evi in present day, as she’s snowed in with Dalton during a freak blizzard; Eamon before his murder, as he prepares for impending fatherhood and grapples with the danger of his profession; and Dalton, as he struggles to make sense of his life next to Eamon’s, and as he decides to track down the biological father he’s never known.
Review: When a book is really good, it can be difficult to put into words what you want to say about it. I wasn't prepared to love Whiskey & Ribbons as much as I did. I was ready to choose sides and dislike characters and that's not at all what happened. One of the reasons I like Jodi Picoult books is because they're told from the perspectives of several characters. I do believe Leesa Cross-Smith has outPicoulted Picoult.
Evi is a perfectly lovely woman. Readers would be hard pressed to find much fault with her, and I imagine that's exactly why Eamon falls so fast and hard for her. Theirs is a storybook courtship and marriage, right up until Eamon's death. But even in death, he's a hard act to follow, as Dalton, his best friend and confidante, well knows.
Eamon is a man who respects his father, loves his mother and worships his wife. He cherishes his relationship with Dalton, the son of his mother's deceased best friend. Practically raised as brothers, he's the yin to Dalton's yang. As happy as he is with Evi, he truly wants the same for Dalton and his girlfriend, Frances.
"Women, you are sleek and gorgeous. You hold us together, you're the ribbons. We're men. Dangerous only if you take us too seriously. We're the whiskey. To whiskey and ribbons," Eamon said, lifting his glass.For so many reasons, Dalton and Eamon's relationship reminds me of Tommy and Ghost on Power. Dalton is happy for his friend, but he wants the relationship Evi and Eamon have. And like Tommy, he always seems to be on the fringe observing and waiting to step in to help where needed, no questions asked. Oh, I wanted to hate him so much, but I couldn't because Eamon's death affects him just as much, if not more, than it does Evi. She's lost a husband but he's lost a life long friend who was like a brother to him.
Whiskey & Ribbons is beautifully written. From the characters to the scenery to the little nuances, it's absolutely perfect.
Released: March 2018
Disclaimer: Copy of book received from publisher, opinions are my own.
No comments :
Post a Comment