Heart of the Matter: A Novel

It appears that adultery is the flavor of the month. I have read four books with this theme during the last two months. Here goes: "My wife's affair" is one of the best books I have ever read. I have already reviewed it. To me it was more about how your actions can cause a sunami and that sometimes there are no do-overs in life. The what-if's. I can't understand how this book has not received more attention. 5 plus stars. I felt "Heart of the Matter" was Emily Giffin's best book. It is also about adultery told through the eyes of three very engaging characters. Both women (Tessa/Valerie)alternate chapters. Valerie is a single mother who comes in contact with Nick (Tessa's husband) when her young son is burnt at a child's birthday party. Tessa is the ex-professional who has given up her career to concentrate on her two young children. Nick (the plastic surgeon) does not have his own chapters, but is the man literally in the middle. All three characters are very well written and sympathetic. No villains in this story. After reading all previous books, I'm not surprised that Emily Giffin ended the book the way she did. I also agreed with the ending. For this story was also about a journey and each character has a better understanding of themselves at the end of the book. This was the thinking man/women chick lit, which may have put Emily Giffin at the top of the pack. "Love in Mid Air" is a very well written book. Kim Wright certainly has a great deal of insight about this topic. Her main character Elyse Bearden is a powerhouse of a character, not to be forgotten. My only problem was that I did not like her. Like chalk on the blackboard, she grated on my nerves. While there was a page on what Elyse initially saw in her husband Phil, this marriage was over long before she takes Gerry's business card on a flight from Phoenix. I kept wanting to say, enough---just go already. What kept me reading was the interactions between her woman friends, and how Elyse's affair, changes the so called equilibrium in all her other relationships. 3 stars. "The swimming pool" is a slow moving book about the ramifications of adultery on ones family. Marcella is a 40ish women who has an affair with an acquaintance and later in the book his son. All the characters felt flat to me, like the air was let out of their tires. This book was also reviewed as a mystery, as Maracella's lovers wife was murdered, and her son and daughter need closure. Was their father a killer? The answer is evident 1/2 way through the book, and adds nothing to the story. A very unemotional/distant story. It added nothing to this subject matter. 2 stars.

I love Emily Giffin's books, and "Heart of the Matter" was no exception. It had me hooked from page 1 and I couldn't put it down. Giffin is a fantastic writer, and her characters are all super relatable. I recommend this book and all of Giffin's novels to everyone. HOWEVER... ...out of the five books Giffin has written, I have the biggest issues with this one. Note: I am going to delve into some major spoilers here, so consider yourself warned if you haven't read the book yet. "Heart of the Matter" deals with cheating. It's told from two distinct points of view: Tessa, a married mother of two, and Valerie, a single mother whose son is seriously injured in a fire. Tessa's husband, Nick, happens to be the pediatric plastic surgeon assigned to the case. He and Valerie basically glance at each other, fall for each other, and proceed to have an affair. This book analyzes the situation from the perspectives of both women involved, and forces you to see that each woman is a victim in her own way. As much as I enjoyed this book and the characters all drew me in, parts of it really bug me. First of all, I hate the character of Nick, just like I hated the character of Dex in "Something Borrowed." (Coincidentally, Dex has a decent-sized supporting role in this novel as Tessa's brother, of all people.) What in the world is redeemable about these men?! They are both cheating scumbags! In this case, I know Giffin wanted to make both women appear to be sympathetic, but there is nothing sympathetic at all about Nick. I didn't get the sense that there was anything drastically wrong with his marriage to begin with. I also didn't understand this alleged deep connection between Nick and Valerie. Where was the supposed chemistry that drew them together? To me, Nick had a wandering eye and it wandered over to the first woman he came into close contact with. Then the book played up how this wasn't just a one night stand, it was super emotional, etc., etc., and then Nick downplayed all of that in the book's final pages. I don't get it! Plus, I sympathized with Valerie in this whole situation, but I do not understand what in the world Nick saw in her. Tessa is the superior woman here, hands-down. There was never any spark between Valerie and Nick; they just suddenly were deeply attracted each other for mysterious reasons that I could never figure out. It just didn't make any sense! But maybe that's what Giffin was going for. Maybe these relationship issues never make any sense, even when people analyze them to death. Still, though, I was bothered by all this and really hope that Giffin's next novel includes a genuinely decent male character! Amazingly, even though I have all these gripes about the characters, I still enjoyed and recommend the book, because Giffin's writing is just that good! I am also curious what others thought of the whole Nick/Valerie dynamic, so please feel free to chime in.

Tessの妻として夫の不実に憤る気持ち、Valの男性運に恵まれない、女性としての気持ち、母親として、子供を守りたい気持ち。この二人が主人公であり、読み手の私たちは、それぞれのこの二人の気持ちに共感をするわけですが、二人は、対立する立場にいて、しかしながらお互いに尊重もしあい、読んでいて切ないです。 それにしても、せっかくの能力を持ちながら、専業主婦となり、時間や気持ちを持て余して、本来どうでもいいことにエネルギーを費やしてしまうのは、どこも同じなのね、と思いました。才能ある女性がもっと仕事と子育ての両立がしやすい世の中になればいいのにね。

Real snapshot about marriage, relationship, trust, forgiveness and family. Life is complex. People are complex. Tessa is an inspiring woman. Valerie very strong herself.

I think Emily Giffin has done a great job alternating both mother’s point of view, Tessa and Valerie. The betrayal of Tessa’s husband, Nick, should probably make you despise both him and his lover. On the contrary, what it accomplishes is that you feel sympathy and compassion for each one of the characters, even Nick himself. Not a disappointing novel at all. The emotions flowing in each chapter felt absolutely real, so you keep turning the pages wishing the book not to finish so soon. I had previously read “Something Borrowed”, which was also a good surprise for me. Now, having read this one, I know Giffin is worth the time you keep reading. I really wish there were more “chick-lit” authors like her. Highly enjoyable reading!

One of my favourite Emily Giffin books and up there with some of my favourite ever reads. I love her style as it's so easy to read and engage with the characters but without the cliches and predictable storylines that dominate so much of the chick lit genre. Highly recommend this book and this author.

Cette 5ème oeuvre de Emily Giffin est tout aussi agréable à lire que les autres: style clair, riche, teintée d'humour ironique. On retrouve une fois de plus le même thème que dans ses précédents livres: analyse des rapports hommes/femmes sur fond de tromperie. Je vous rassure l'histoire reste tout de même originale cette fois-ci se déroulant dans une banlieue chic de Boston, Giffin surfant un petit peu sur la vague de 'Desperate Housewives'. Ce qui ont aimé 'Something borrowed', auront plaisir à retrouver les personnages de Dex et Rachel qui ont dans cet opus un rôle secondaire. Un bon livre à lire donc même si on regrette que l'auteure n'aille pas plus loin dans les intriques qu'elle lance et n'ose pas leur donner une fin moins conventionnelle, moins puritaine...