Surface

by Stacy Robinson

“I can’t remember the last time I devoured a book so eagerly. Magnificent!” —Elin Hilderbrand, New York Times– bestselling author
 
Claire Montgomery has a lifetime of sensible decisions behind her. Yet all it takes is one impulsive indiscretion to bring everything crashing down—her marriage to a wealthy entrepreneur, her status as part of one of Denver society’s power couples, and the future she dreamed of for their seventeen-year-old son, Nick.
 
Claire’s husband, Michael, angrily blames her for the recklessness that has left Nick’s life in the balance—though not nearly as much as Claire blames herself. But as Nick struggles to move forward, Claire too begins inching toward a reimagined future. Along with a fresh perspective come new questions. Are there other reasons for her fractured relationship and Michael’s increasingly erratic behavior? Has he, too, been harboring painful secrets? And does Claire dare to find the truth, when her seamlessly decorated world of privilege and security is at stake?
 
This “beautifully written” novel exploring the consequences of flawed choices and the complex nature of betrayal and forgiveness is “an utterly compelling story of one woman’s traumatic fall and of her ultimate and triumphant resurrection” (Holly Chamberlin, author of The Beach Quilt ).
 
“Gripping . . . With sharp, smart, writing, and a palpable undercurrent of tension from start to finish, Surface will captivate readers and give book clubs plenty to talk about.” —Michelle Gable, author of A Paris Apartment

Genres: Fiction, Womens Fiction

401 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 24, 2015

About the author

Stacy graduated with a BA degree in International Relations from Stanford University, and after satisfying her wanderlust with a three-year consulting and teaching stint in Japan, she returned to her hometown of Los Angeles to continue her career in international marketing. A happy twist of fate brought her to Denver, where she had kids and drifted back into the work she loves most – writing. Stacy is a lover of live music, clever lyrics, and the occasional cycling trip - and enjoys the Mile High city and nearby mountains with her husband, three children and chocolate Labrador non-Retriever, Jagger.

Reviews

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

If Stacy Robinson hadn't been a first-time author with this book, I'd have only given it 2 Stars. She gets a star based on her writing style - even though the story line is weak I never felt that I was wasting my time. I can't put my finger on her writing style but it kept me drawn in enough to want to keep going.

Surface is an apt title as the Claire Montgomery, the main character who mostly characterizes the things I really can't stand about people in general, that of caring way too much about what people think of her and her choices. I find it hard to believe that people actually live like that: shallow, phony, weak and insecure. In my opinion and experience, living anything but a fully transparent totally authentic and genuine life, especially with a spouse, is fraud. Pure and simple fraud and perhaps the most evil thing one can do to another in a marriage or committed relationship.

Claire thought she was in an ideal marriage but something just wasn't quite right. She tried to explain away the distance from her husband Michael but ultimately succumbed to a one night stand (it was hardly the "affair" she seems convinced they had - he was a player, she was lonely and got laid; move on. On the aftermath, a small vial of cocaine (brought by said player) was left behind, found by her 17-year old son (Nichoas), who overdosed and fell in a coma, with pretty harsh physical, mental and emotional repercussions.

In true "what will the neighbors think" mode throughout, Claire (aided by the soon-to-be-ex husband) blames herself for Nick's overdose. Ad nauseum. I kept wondering when someone in the vast array of phony, surface dwelling acquaintances posing as friends/humans, was going to remind Claire that Nick was 17, old enough to know better, made a bad (devastating as it turned
out) choice. Make bad choices, live with the consequences. Instead he's treated throughout his recovery like a spotless spoiled little rich kid and pampered. Give me a break.

So the story line sucked. If it resonated with any readers,I feel sorry for you. Don't waste your life or inflict your shallowness on an unsuspecting spouse. But the author has a knack for writing; hopefully she'll expose some vulnerability and take a chance writing "out-of-the-box" (for her) novels going forward. This was her mulligan.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good debut novel by new author, Stacy Robinson. The only reasons that I gave this book a 3 star instead of a higher rating is because I did think it moved a little slow with repetitive dialect for the first half of the story. Which the story really did get going in Part three the second half of the book. In this part the rest of the secondary characters were just alright. So for these two reason I thought the book was alright but still enjoyable enough that I do look forward to seeing what the author comes out with next.

Claire and Nicholas were the story. More Claire than Nicky. She showed just how strong a mother's love is. She could have just given up and been a bitter woman due to her situation but she was a fighter. Michael I hated with a passion. So much so that when the truth about him came out I was thinking "He got what he deserved."

[Marcia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not "powerfully written and insightful," more like "overwritten and trite"

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read following the lives of the uber rich wives and their petty problems. But when Claire's son ODs on cocaine leaving him brain damaged, we get to see who the real friends are and who turn their backs .

[Stacey · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all I want to thank Goodreads First Reads and author Stacey Robinson for the good fortune of winning this terrific and thought provoking book. Our heroin Claire has the perfect life, the one we all dream of having. She lives in a fabulous mansion, with the filthy rich and successful (and very handsome) husband, with a smart and athletic teenage son whose future plans include going to Princeton. She had no money worries, and spent her time doing high society fund raisers, lunches and shopping. Then one night she does the unthinkable, and jumps in bed with a sexy, younger business associate of her husband. As a direct result, she loses her husband and her son's life is tragically forever changed. Initially, I thought Claire was a stupid slut who totally blew it because she was feeling sorry for herself because her husband didn't seem to pay enough attention to her, and deserved no sympathy whatever. She was thrown out of her house and shunned by the hoity-toity upper crust society with whom she hobnobbed. But, things are not quite as simple as they seem. Her unforgiving husband Michael is not all we initially believe him to be, in fact we come to hate him at one point. But through all that happens, Claire learns to cope with what she did and to make a new life. We learn the secret to life is to really see what our lives are, and to roll with the punches and adapt. The one I feel sorry for is the son Nick, whose life will never be the same, but even he will be OK......different, but OK nonetheless.
I can see this book as the perfect choice for a book club, lending itself to hours of lively and soul searching discussions. Stacey Robinson did such a great job turning her characters into real people, and developing this so very real story. I hated finishing the book, wanting to know what happens next in their lives. But, I know they will all be fine, and find peace and happiness. Thank you Stacy for this wonderful book!

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Surface
By
Stacy Robinson


Key characters...and what is going down with them...

Claire and her husband Michael and her son Nicholas are the main players in this book. Claire makes a devastating mistake with a business associate of her husband's. She allows what seems like a harmless flirtation to go way too far. This transgression actually happens in her own home. Her son Nicholas suffers gravely because of His mother's indiscretion.

What I thought about this book...

Not a huge fan of this book...Claire did not feel believable...which was probably good because I had a strong aversion to everything she did. Michael was pretty much just a dishonest creep. The flaws in their relationship seemed to grow larger with each passing day. Did she expect him to just forget about what she did?


Why you might want to read this book in spite of my feelings about it...

Perhaps if you love family sagas with drama...you might enjoy this book. I did not...I didn't like the subject matter and I did not think the book was as profound as I thought it would be...I think I needed more honest and believable characters. I didn't like Claire's behavior either. I could not quite understand how she thought her life would go back to what it was before her "incident".

[Dolores · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dissatisfied with her marriage, Claire Montgomery invites a business acquaintance of her husband to her home and recklessly sets into motion events that will endanger her seventeen-year-old son's life.

When I first opened this book, I didn't think it was anything I'd want to read.....rich self-absorbed society people interested in art galleries and designer clothing. But I decided to try a few chapters and got hooked on it....so I did finish it.

I have read worse, but it was disappointing. I couldn't really care a lot about any of the characters. The title was appropriate at least....to these people, appearances are what count.

I received "Surface" for free through Goodreads First Reads and am sorry I couldn't give it a better review.

[Marisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

My only minor disappointment would be that the story seemed to drag throughout the entire book, but more so through parts 1 and 2. I started to lose interest, early into the book almost to point where it would make me stop reading. I found the protagonist to be un-evolved and had no charisma, but on a more enjoyable character I liked Carolyn, but felt the characters could still be developed further.

No, i did not enjoy this family drama.

My thanks to Netgalley and the Kensington Books for the digital copy to review.

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elin Hilderbrand was the perfect author to have write this blurb. The book is about secrets and marriage...and a marriage full of secrets. The prologue started with out with a bang, and I really enjoyed the book! Please note: I won this book and was under no obligation to review. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Lenka Gonnella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Celkem slušně napsané rodinné drama. Kniha byla čtivá. Záplatka byla na začátku velice zajímavá. Jen mi přišlo, že se to místy táhlo a konec byl taky takový moc předvídatelný a nijak vyjímečný nebo zajímavý.

[Kathleen Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well written and enjoyable!

I’ve finally gotten into my reading groove and I’ve had my share of stories that interest me but disappoint in the writing department. THIS one is NOT one of those. Perhaps a bit too long but satisfying!

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay summer read.

[Wendy Dettmer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible Read

I could not put this book down. One of the best books I have ever read. I needed to know what was going to happen next!!! Definitely recommend!!!!!

[Beverly B. Bright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Well written, great story, difficult to put down. I will be looking for more publications by this author. Read it.

[Adri Dosi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ta kniha mě vůbec nebavila. Bylo to takové tlachání.

[Hawley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a 4star right up until the last 100 pages or so.

[Meagan Houle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since this is a debut novel, I'm going a little easier on it than I might otherwise. The writing itself is solid, and the imagery was well-crafted, but even though the subject matter is powerful, the infuriating characters prevented me from giving this book a higher rating. I did appreciate the skillful rendering of the slow and often frustrating recovery process traumatic brain injuries can necessitate, and Claire's shock and confusion when faced with massive betrayal was so well-portrayed as to be quite triggering for me (I've been through a much smaller-scale version of Claire's situation, in the sense that I've had a long-term partner lie to me for a year). But, on the whole, the characters seemed like rough caricatures of wealth and privilege, to the point where I wanted to stop reading to get away from the entitlement and sickening selfishness on display.
"Surface" was an entertaining enough diversion, with some genuinely moving parts, but failed to keep my interest overall.

[Julie Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

SURFACE by Stacy Robinson
Story line sounded intriguing. Starts out with Claire and Michael and they have a son Nicholas who's home for the summer from boarding school. He's now 17 and he meets up with his other friends at night.
As Michael has left the country to do business one of his associates shows up and he and Claire hit it off-he's got info on a new project and she questions him about it. What ensues is they end up in bed and he drops his cocaine that Nicky finds and uses-and Nicky is a diabetic.
He ends up in a coma and surgeries and then Michael sends him to a rehab hosptial in LA and Claire goes with him.
Story goes back in time so we can understand Michael and Claire's relationship before they got married, then we are back in the present at the LA rehab place. Nicky is showing progress but Michael who flies in from Denver, CO doesn't think as much as he should be improving. Nickys sees himself as a retard.
Quite a few twists to the story and then other events on top of that make this a good read. Action, mysteries, loss, travel, new friendships and betrayal. She is able to uncover some things that lead her and her friends to think Michael is having an affair. She does learn what it's all about and so much more and she meets him headon with how she can help him.
Like how the book got it's name and yes the mother in law knew it from the start. Crazy plan of hers to help her and her son survive. it's never going to work...
I received this book from The Kennsington Books in exchange for my honest review

[Retha Cameron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claire Montgomery has an affair with a business associate of her husband and sets into motion events that endanger her teenage sons life. The book deals with the fallout from her indiscretion and what has lead the Montgomery family to completely come undone.

It may be because I just read a true story about a family dealing with a traumatic brain injury that I found the whole topic of traumatic brain injury in the book hard to swallow. The author just skimmed the "surface" of how very difficult dealing with a child with a tbi is.

Surface was a perfect title for the book as it skimmed the surface of many different topics without ever really fully developing them. Despite this I found myself wanting to continue to read the book to find out what ultimately happens to Claire, her husband and her son.

This is the author's first novel and I look forward to reading more from her in the future.

*** I won this book in a Goodreads contest. ***

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again goodreads giveaways comes through with providing a free copy of "Surface," by Stacy Robinson, a thought provoking and ultimately uplifting story by an incredibly skillful author. The title pretty much explains the initial premise that seemingly perfect marriages and golden power couples are rarely as perfect as they seem to appear. These people are only too human and sometimes make poor choices that have dire consequences far beyond the final dissolution of a failed marriage. However, much of the story revolves around the main character's struggle to make amends for her mistakes and grow through her experiences in trying to get her life back together again. I highly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates a well written story with believable, yet complex characters and find inspiration in how those characters work and struggle to overcome their mistakes.

[Kristin (Kritters Ramblings) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire Montgomery makes a decision that for some doesn't make this huge of an impact on their life, but this changes Claire's life in a HUGE way. Her decision doesn't just affect her, it also affects her marriage and her child.

When I first started this book, I was worried that this storyline couldn't fill 352 pages because the first few pages revealed most of the plot, but thankfully after the "accident" there was a lot to the story. This is basically a family drama with no frills and nothing too crazy or soap opera, but that is what I liked about it, that there was drama, but it wasn't over the top and could have even been a memoir.

Unfortunately, the review for this book is short because I can't share too much, I don't want to ruin the major plot point. I think it is a great read, I would recommend curling up with it in the winter with a cup of tea.

[Tiffany Quay Tyson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished Stacy Robinson's juicy, compelling novel SURFACE. I recommend it highly. SURFACE follows Claire, a wealthy woman with a seemingly perfect life, who makes one bad decision that causes everything to unravel. It's an absolute testament to Robinson that she not only makes the reader care about Claire, but to root for her. All of the characters in SURFACE are complex. Even the unlikeable characters show moments of real humanity and seem capable of redemption. Plus, Robinson weaves in a few mysteries to keep the story moving forward even during moments of reflection. This is more than a great beach read, but it would definitely be the perfect companion for a toes-in-the-sand vacation. Block out a long weekend and turn off the phone. This one's a page-turner.

[Teresa Kander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book actually holds two very moving stories: the recovery and rehab of young Nick, and the ending of the marriage of his parents, Claire and Michael.

I was never able to like Michael in the slightest...he was a HUGE jerk. Claire was originally naive and in denial, expecting life to be exactly the same as it had been before her "indiscretion." As the story went on, however, I was impressed with her growth and strength. Nick was determined, and even when he had troubles with his recovery, he never gave up.

The story is very well written, and flows well. The beginning of the book is a little slow, but once it picked up I didn't want to put it down. The main point of the story, to me, is that our actions have consequences, which may be further reaching than we realize.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I definitely loved the first two-thirds of this book. It was edgy and twisty and my kind of book. The book was well written and well edited.

Regarding the last third, I think I envisioned something more happening. My opinion shouldn't turn anyone off from reading this book. It is excellent and I do recommend it.


I received a copy of this book from BookSparks as part of their 2015 Fall reading challenge.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this story was like watching a movie. Very well written, it flowed and was very descriptive, sensing every emotion I did not want the book to end. I'm looking forward to reading the next chapter in Claire's life. Thank you for writing an inspiring story where all of the characters discover "where they belong".

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway.
I was pleasantly surprised with this book. The story sucked you in right from the beginning, and kept the reader interested. A very realistic portrayal of the end of a marriage. Going through the different emotions with Claire as the story unfolded was a curvy, bumpy ride. I would read Ms Robinson's work again in the future.

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather stressful read, but with high readability. However, the whole time I was reading I wondered how the story would be told for a family of more modest means. Yes, financial difficulties were first in the background, and later right up front, but these were still people of means at a level most can only imagine. I guess that's a different book.

[Julie Witte · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recieved this book through GoodReads First Reads. I really enjoyed how this book was written; it has many many layers, as the title suggests. I found it hard to put down. I am looking forward to more from this author.

[Vykki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a great book. The story grabbed you in and kept you reading. The characters were strong and complex. I recommend this book to every one. I thank Goodreads for allowing me to win this book.

[Autumn Hall crowell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick read that I enjoyed very much. Would have liked getting to know the other characters not just Claire, especially Nicky and Richard.