February 15, 2003
Mel and Adrienne Jordan's relationship begins to crumple when they lose their daughter in a fire. They are so devastated by the accident that they escape from the marriage. Mel moves in with his sister, Debra. Her lifestyle and acquaintances make it easy for him to be lured back into his former life of women, drugs, and alcohol. Adrienne goes to live with her brother, Dan, and his wife. They provide unconditional support and suggest professional counseling for the couple. Rather than seek help, Adrienne and Mel move into an apartment and attempt to put their marriage on track and their lives back together. Attempts at reconciliation and forgiveness seem futile. But eventually they realize that their marriage is worth saving. Even with the cliff-hanging, abrupt ending, this is an entertaining story about people dealing with real emotions, thoughts, and behavior.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2003, American Library Association.)