promisedworldTitle: The Promised World
Author: Lisa Tucker
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Publisher: Atria Books for Simon & Schuster

Summary:
Lila thought she had the idyllic life – perfect marriage to a wonderful man, great job she’d aspired to all her life, and a loving twin brother in Billy who would do anything for her.  That is until that very same brother commits “suicide by police” leaving Lila, his estranged wife and their three children behind to piece together the reasons why.

The loss of Billy starts Lila and his remaining family down a road to self discovery that is both frightening and eye-opening at the same time.  Stepping back through their history his sister recalls how together the two shared a bond made stronger by their love of literature, loathing of their parents and a quest for the perfect future.  Always reliant on his support and sure of his adoration for her Lila was never skeptical of the innocent nature of their relationship.

Attempting to build separate lives Lila heads off to college where she meets and marries a young man of academic talents that rival her own.  Billy too forges a life of his own when he marries the mother of his first child and subsequently has two more.  Unfortunately, forsaking his own education for his new family begins Billy down a path to self destruction that ultimately culminates in his aforementioned demise.

Over time Billy and Lila migrate back to each other and their bond, further strengthened by age and education, roots much more deeply.  So deep that in the eyes of their spouses and other family members (at different times) the former innocence of their relationship is undoubtedly questioned.  Viewed through snapshots of Billy and Lila’s lives as they grow up not just as siblings but as best friends some wonder if their attachment to each other is unnatural.

It is at the point of his death that the many secrets he’d been keeping start to trickle back into Lila’s memory causing her to question the true nature of their relationship as well.  Even though she is married to a wonderful man in Patrick and has all the love and support a woman who has just lost the one most important family member she has could want it isn’t enough to keep her from her past and in the end she has a complete breakdown.

Opinion:
Child abuse is always a difficult subject to wrap one’s head around.  It’s uncomfortable and emotional and not short of infuriating yet Tucker has skillfully navigated her way through those issues to build a story that handles each delicately.  She’s crafted a story that is both thought provoking and suspenseful; one which the reader is not quite able to pinpoint what has actually happened until the very bitter end when the pieces of the puzzle are more closely locking together.  While not the darkest it could be elements of The Promised World would certainly not e described as chipper or fluffy either.  Tackling the subjects of suicide, abuse, and depression was something Tucker did deftly and with great sensitivity.  She took the reader through the intricacies of the mind and allowed us to feel that angst and pain without sending us into the depths of despair ourselves.

Told through multiple points of view (Billy, Patrick, Lila, Billy’s wife and children) it took me some time to get used to the voices jumping around from chapter to chapter.  But once I did I enjoyed that we got a more rounded view of the story.  I liked being able to see the events from the eyes of the most important people, I enjoyed hearing the perspective of the people involved as compared to being told assumptions about those same scenarios from other characters watching it happen.

About the only element I struggled with initially was Lila’s seemingly unnatural attachment to Billy and subsequent disassociation from many other facets of her life and relationships.  I found that at times it made her feel quite robotic, emotionless and cold.  This is best exemplified by her interactions with her husband Patrick whom (early on) I didn’t get the feeling that she loved very much.  This, I know was by design, but until certain elements of the plot played out towards the end I didn’t get the feeling she felt much more for him than companionship.  He seemed to be more of a placeholder, or a means to an end, until she was able to be with Billy again. This characterization didn’t ruin the story for me but I wish I felt some small traces of that love it turns out she had for her husband a bit earlier in the story.

Having said that I found this a well written and intriguing book that kept me on my toes throughout.  I enjoyed the detailed viewpoints and portrayal of emotional upheaval a tragedy like this would inevitably create on the people in the lives of a love one lost.  Furthermore, I was consistently interested in where the story was going and was truly rooting for Lila to come out of her depression healthy and happy.

[This review is part of a blog tour arranged by TLC Book Tours]
(book provided via publisher/tour company)