For June, my book club did a “choose your own book”. Covet was my pick. This book is by Tracey Garvis Graves. She wrote On The Island and I really liked that book, so I had a feeling I would like this one as well. Here’s a little about the book:
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 runs into her 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.
First, I really liked this book. It was a fast and easy read. I felt like I could have been reading about anyone in my neighborhood. With so many stay-at-home moms who have husbands who travel, I could see them in this situation. It made the whole book more “real” in that way.
Second, I liked that Graves continued with her writing style of having different chapters by different characters. The main character, Claire, had the majority of the dialogue with some dispersed chapters that were a few pages long, from the view of her husband and her cop friend.
My one gripe, which I only noticed after reading the book, actually has nothing to do with the book at all. It’s the first sentence in the synopsis. “What if the life you wanted, and the woman you fell in love with, belonged to someone else?” POSSIBLE SPOILER. This was from the view of the cop friend. It originally led me to believe there would be more about this. But there really wasn’t. And I only noticed it later on. It just seemed strange to catch readers’ attention with this line when it really wasn’t the main focus of the book, in my mind.
Oh well. It really takes nothing away from the book. I just found it odd. Again, I thought it was a great book. I really like this author and I can’t wait for her to come out with more books. If you want a nice summer read, pick this up!
