The Perfect Divorce

The Perfect Divorce follows Sarah Morgan, who was a character in The Perfect Marriage, years after the events of that novel, and whose life always seems to calm for long. This time, it's Sarah who finds her second husband Bob cheated on her and, what should have been a simple divorce, soon becomes a much more complicated affair. With their marriage in shambles, the old murder case of Sarah's first husband, Adam, is reopened and the past won't remain buried. But then the woman Bob sleeps with disappears and the story unfolds as Sarah; Bob and several others find their lives intertwining in ways no one could have imagined. The book alternates perspectives and gradually uncovers the relationships between each character and how what they did years ago affects who they are today.

I really appreciated the attention paid to the characters, as opposed to just the mystery, in this book. Sarah is not portrayed as a perfect heroine, and that's what makes her interesting. She's intelligent, composed and self-assured, yet stubborn, guarded and at times impenetrable. The story is as personal as it is dramatic as she struggles to cope with another failed marriage, and to be drawn back into the case that shaped her past. Her romance with Bob is particularly well done as it doesn't seem like a straightforward battle, but rather two people who know one another too well wanting to shield themselves. The history with Adam also gives credence to the tale as it demonstrates how much Sarah has evolved over the years, despite maintaining some of her old habits.

There's a good amount of pacing, but it's best when the book slows down and allows the characters to interact. The conversation, arguments and little moments of tension were far more interesting to me than the actual twists. The plot has some surprises, some of which are very clever, but some were a little too convenient, particularly towards the end. Sometimes, it felt like the story was more into shocking the reader than a natural progression of the characters to those moments. However, what kept me going through it was the emotion that was intertwined in the plot as I wanted to see how Sarah would cope with everything going down around her.

The other thing I liked about this book is that it demonstrates that people don't easily put their past behind them. Sarah attempts to create a new life, a new marriage, and even a new career, but the same patterns continue to reoccur. The story implies that people don't change in a day and that relationships have an imprint that remains with them long after they have ended. It was a more thought-provoking thriller than I would have thought, even though the plot got a little melodramatic.

The Perfect Divorcewas an interesting read, primarily due to the characters and not so much the mystery itself, so I would give it a 3 out of 5 stars. There are many twists, but what resonated with me more was the gradual breakdown of the relationships and the individual's reaction when they were losing their control. It wasn't flawless and some of it seemed a bit too much, but it was still interesting to see Sarah again, and how much she's changed.