The first thing Callum saw was the bare feet- and quite dirty, bare feet at that. But quickly he learned that these feet happened to be attached to a beautiful, tiny, auburn-haired woman with an almost intimidatingly sharp wit and he was intrigued at once. While they both resisted commitment, he felt himself falling more quickly than he’d ever done in his life. She, on the other hand, was mysteriously holding back. He knew she liked him, it was obvious. What else was going on? He’d have to just go along with it and take whatever she could give him.
I am a huge fan of this author – and yet, this novel of hers was a disappointment for me. While it is a romantic and heartbreaking story, it was overtly linear, unidimensional, and pathetically predictable. The only one who could not see what was coming was Callum himself, because the reader could see any of the attempts at plot twists coming from a mile away. It was an Australian “Love Story” (remember? the movie?) – and who needed another one of those?
The only redeeming aspect of the story, I believe, is that it does increase awareness of a frightening illness, Huntington’s Disease, which is a uniformly fatal genetic disorder that leads to neurologic degeneration of affected individuals over months to years. It often begins with abnormal movements of the extremities, abnormal sensory issues, gradually to severe cognitive and emotional deficits, and then ultimately failure of neurologic function altogether. It is rare – approximately 1/10,000 in the US and tends to run in families of European descent but can be found in others as well. Apparently there are about 15,000 Americans living with this disease at this time.
Again, I will still read other Kelly Rimmer books – she is a talented author. This is just not one of her stellar achievements.
kindread spirits 