In Violet's Wake
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
When Marshall VanDahmm’s wife, Violet, married four times previously, informs him that she’s divorcing him, he promptly falls apart. She refuses to offer a reason for the divorce, and Marshall is utterly confused. Out of anger and desperation, he decides to seek out one of Violet’s exes, Costa Pavlos, with whom he’s convinced she’s been having an affair. Despite a rocky introduction, Marshall and Costa form a tentative friendship, and together they seek out Violet’s other exes.
It seems Marshall isn’t the only one Violet left on ambiguous terms. Now Marshall and Costa, with Owen, Brian and Tim have formed a renegade “support group” to work through the emotional, mental, and financial damage she’s left in her wake.
Enter Jake: Violet’s high school sweetheart and the one who got away. The men are befuddled by Violet’s pining over Jake—what does he have that they don’t? And then, inexplicably altruistically, can they track him down in time to save him from Violet? The group sets out on a road trip to find Jake before Violet can, and on the way forge new friendships, new loyalties, and find new sides of
themselves.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Devereaux-Nelson's debut novel, five hapless men in contemporary Michigan struggle to overcome the whirlwind of devastation left in manipulative femme fatale Violet Benjamin's wake. When Violet suddenly abandons husband #5, Marshall, his jealous suspicions lead him to another of Violet's exes, Costa. Bonding over their shared marital battle scars, they go on to befriend Violet's other ex-husbands, including unstable Brian, dutiful Tim, and lovesick Owen. The men, united by their common fixation, together begin to find a way of coping with life after Violet. Meanwhile, their beautiful, narcissistic, therapy-loving ex-wife has set her sights on a new target: Jake, the one man who never fell for her wiles. Learning this, the men decide to find Jake and warn him of Violet's sinister power before it's too late. A diffuse structure and stereotypical characters prevents the novel from building up much suspense before reaching its forgettable climax. Violet herself remains a frustrating cipher, leaving the reader wondering why her ex-husbands are still obsessed with her. As a tale of romantic loss, though, the novel is more successful, offering a moving portrait of the neurotic fixations of unhappy lovers and the bonds they forge to overcome grief.
