Review: The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson
Reviewed by Vera Pereskokova (Luxury Reading)
Annabelle has been married to Grant McKay for two decades – happily married for most. They’ve made a life for themselves in New Hampshire and raised two children; Nick is a freshman in college and Sophie is living in New York City with her husband. But every now and then, Annabelle falls into the trap of remembering Jeremiah, the man she had an affair with at the start of her marriage and has continued to love. She made a promise to Grant to never speak of the affair or of Jeremiah. But as her husband withdraws more and more into his work, Annabelle begins to feel that the true relationship in her life is one that she imagines with Jeremiah, whom she has not seen in over twenty years.
When a sudden family emergency leads Annabelle to New York, she is immersed in the memories of the years she spent there – of being a newlywed newly transplanted from California, of learning the ropes of the city, and most importantly, of the passion she shared with Jeremiah.
The city has changed, but Annabelle finds herself face to face with Jeremiah in a store the two used to visit together. The relationship she has nurtured in her mind has a chance of becoming a reality, and Annabelle must deal with the ramifications of the past she has pretended to ignore for so long.
Longing for the one that got away is a common theme in literature, but Maddie Dawson writes with a particular honesty that makes the characters very real and convincing. The Stuff That Never Happened alternates between the present and the past, when the affair took place, but the flashbacks only add to the understanding of the characters and their motivations.
I loved every minute of The Stuff That Never Happened! Dawson’s writing was like gulps of water after a salty meal – I could not get enough of the longing, the complicated ties between the characters, and the realizations that sometimes the scenarios that we build up in our heads are never as good as they seem.
Please visit Maddie Dawson’s website for more information.
This book was provided free of any obligation by Crown Publishing. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
Category: Contemporary, Gift Ideas, Great Fiction, Literature & Fiction, Women's Fiction
I loved your review, especially the part where you say “the scenarios that we build up in our heads are never as good as they seem”. It does sound like an interesting read.
Carol Wong
[...] Please welcome Maddie Dawson, author of The Stuff That Never Happened - now available in paperback! (check out our review here) [...]
I should say The Stuff That Never Happened.
I want to enter The Love That Never Happened.
Dear Vera, Thank you so much for writing this great review! I am so glad you liked the book. I loved your line about the glass of water after a salty meal. It was a fun book to write (even though living in Annabelle’s head for a year got a little trying.)And thank all of you for your new comments. Sharon, so glad to hear from you again!
Maddie Dawson recently posted..Where do characters REALLY come from
I just added this one to my Wish List. I love books about relationships, whether it be romantic, friendships, relationships between siblings or otherwise, so I think this one sounds like a really good fit for me.
Thanks for the heads up! Great review!
Justpeachy36 recently posted..Reminders!
This book does sound intriguing! I do think that everyone thinks the “what if” once in awhile.
I will definately read this.
I think all of us wonder, at one moment or another, “what if …?” and to take that, and to run with it in creating the story of ‘What If I Had Done This Differently’ in your head … and then to come face to face with what might have been? Wow … That’s a huge “what if …?” that suddenly becomes “what now … ?” The idea is intriguing, the cover’s arresting, the title is tantalizing … Can’t decide if it’s something I would seek out to read or not, but I can see where it’s something I’d pick up if it were *right there* … Otherwise, I might wonder “what if … I had read it?”
I read this book for my From Left to Write on-line book club and i did enjoy it. It is hard to know which way Annabelle is going next to go as she is a complex character. I wanted her to be more loyal, more appreciative of her husband. But that is what makes the book real, realistic characters.
If anyone would like to read my review, and author Maddie Dawson’s comments on it, here is the link:
http://channelingricky.blogspot.com/2010/08/miss-landers-book-club-reviews-stuff.html
This book sounds PERFECT for me! I have seen it on a few blogs and everyone seems to love it. While I agree that the theme of “the one that got away” is popular in fiction, I think that is because so many of us catch glimpses of that in our own real lives. Most of us don’t do it to the extent of the characters in the books, but the seed is often there. I can never get enough of that “the grass isn’t always greener on the other side” mentality and the lessons (often moral) that these themes evoke. This is going right now on my amazon wishlist!