While I’m Falling – Laura Moriarty

I’m pleased to announce that I am now a member of Amazon’s Vine program and will be cross-posting my book reviews for your reading pleasure. My reviews will remain honest, that’s the only way I can be regarding books I read.

Veronica is a character that feels all too real. I feel as though I could pick up my phone and call her up and discus her experiences with her. I realize I cannot do this but the line between reality and fiction is very blurry because Moriarty does such a fantastic job painting her life for me.  Veronica is in college, a pre-med student struggling with Chemistry.  That’s all she should be worried about at her age.  But then her mother screws up and her parents are headed for divorce.  Before it’s all over her mother’s situation will turn the tables on Veronica, who is the child, to place her in a position of providing for her own mother. 

The details of this story are so dead on.  I’ve been in some of these situations and this author seems to have been as well, or she’s just a damn fine writer of real life scenario’s.  Either way, she’s got largely likable characters sprinkled throughout this story.  Save for one creepy dude with an even creepier disposition.  But that guy balances out all the other nicer characters well.  Another reviewer stated that this would make a good movie, and they are right. I could totally see this up on the movie screen.  This book does a fine job of detailing what divorce does to the entire family and how even the worse events make us stronger, better, more aware of who we really are.  I read this one in two day’s because I just couldn’t stop thinking about Veronica and her dog loving Mother and the nature of their interactions. I could also appreciate that these characters made mistakes, but then again don’t we all. This is not a “problem happens” and then “problem solved” story. It’s more of a life story. One that makes a lot of sense and touches on a lot of the harsh realities of life but does so with humour and the truth of humanity as well.  I loved these characters and hated for this story to end.