Faithful by Alice Hoffman - 2 stars

[Joy D]

Faithful by Alice Hoffman - 2* - My Review

Shelby and her friend are in a horrible car accident, which leaves her friend in a coma. Shelby deals with survivor’s guilt and depression. She moves in with a person she does not care about and treats him poorly. Her family’s situation is not conducive to healing. She struggles to piece together a life after more than one traumatic experience.

I had previously read and enjoyed a book by Alice Hoffman, but this particular book felt like it was written by a different person. It is almost, but not quite “young adult.” I say almost because it deals with adult content, such as rape, drugs, and attempted suicide.

It starts with a glimpse of spirituality, but this aspect is soon forgotten. Somehow Shelby retains the good favor of many people despite how poorly she treats them. Her path through the darkness of survivor’s guilt is mostly covered by repetitive remarks about what a horrible person she thinks she is. This is a novel that remains mostly on the surface with little exploration of deeper thoughts or learning from experiences.

I am not generally a fan of contemporary fiction, and this one falls into some of the same traps that I do not care for, such as melodrama, rescuing of the heroine via romantic relationships, and many unlikely events. If it is intended to be hopeful, it did not come across that way to me. It felt unreal and unsatisfying. I think I will stick to Hoffman’s historical fiction, such The Marriage of Opposites, which I enjoyed very much.

[Susan]

I had many criticisms of this, too. and agree with your comments. I haven't read her historical fiction. I do like contemporary fiction (generally) but probably won't read any more by Hoffman.

[Joy D]

I am glad it is not just me.

I do think she is a good writer, judging from Marriage of Opposites. It's just that this particular book did not showcase her writing in its best light.