Black Olives
A Novel
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1.0 • 1 Rating
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
I turn my head and stare up at the roof of the truck cab. He has no idea I'm here, and I don't know where he's going.
Upon a chance sighting of her ex-boyfriend, Virginia does something most of us have only dreamed of. Unseen, she jumps into the back of his Jeep, and remains hidden all day, observing the man she once loved. She's compelled to complete her unfinished portrait of their breakup, and relive the magical thinking of their romance.
I knew him by heart for ten years and he me, Vir-ginia reflects. And now, only nine months later, I know nothing at all.
The novel unfolds over the course of one day, ping-ponging between Virginia's fear of discovery and the illicit thrill of "breaking and entering" into the life of her former lover.
Will she finally confront him, as she's longed to do since they parted? Will she slink away in defeat? Any woman who has ever lived and loved will find herself swept up in Virginia's mesmerizing journey.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Dudman's slightly creepy first novel (after memoirs Expecting to Fly and Augusta, Gone), a woman still hurt over an unexpected breakup nine months earlier lets her obsession get the better of her. Narrator Virginia is a divorc e who believes she has found the perfect relationship with David, also a divorc e, until he unexpectedly ends it one New Year's Eve. After spotting David at a local specialty food shop (hence the title), Virginia hides in the back of David's Jeep, secretly rides home with him and eventually sneaks around in his house, roaming its rooms and indulging in memories of their relationship. Told in flashbacks, we learn that while she was content with their setup, David's desire to marry Virginia and her repeated rejection of his proposals led him to bouts of depression, impotence and the arms of another woman. Virginia is a tough narrator to root for she frequently comes across as nastily self-involved but for readers who can get comfortable in Virginia's head, there's a nice payoff at the end.
