The Good Father
By
Grade : B

I am not sure why I have never read a book by Diane Chamberlain. I suspect my initial impression was that they were too angst-filled, but that is not the case with The Good Father. Using a deft hand, the author explores several emotionally sensitive subjects in this latest release.

Six weeks earlier, Travis Brown's life coasted along pretty smoothly. After four years of doing construction work to put food on the table, Travis is surprised to discover that he is actually enjoying it after his foreman takes him under his wing and teaching him new skills. But this sense of happiness is fleeting. His mother is killed while rescuing his daughter Bella after a fire breaks out in their rental home. Only after she is gone does Travis realize how big a part his mother played in making his single fatherhood workable. After being evicted from the only affordable housing he could find, desperation causes Travis to travel to Raleigh on the flimsy promise of a job from a capricious source.

And it turns out that Travis had a long-lost romance in his past. Robin Saville’s mother died at age twenty five of cardiac failure and since Robin has a similar condition her father wants to shelter her from any and all stress. Initially, he thought Travis was a nice boy but once puberty hit, he attempted to thwart their budding romance, forcing them to sneak around.

After an enthusiastic bout of unprotected reunion sex, Robin collapsed and was rushed to the hospital, exposing their secret. Her father went ballistic, threatening to kill Travis. When he does calm down, it is to a cold anger and he does everything possible to make sure the two lovers don’t reconnect.

Robin was sixteen weeks into her pregnancy before she realized it. Winning the battle against her father’s coercion and then court case, she has her baby. However the whole pregnancy took an enormous toll on her. In her weakened condition, she agreed to give the baby up. Now she is about to marry into a dynastic small town political family and her unwed future sister-in-law’s new baby brings unresolved feelings about the past to the surface.

Doomed by the death of their only child Carolyn, Michael and Erin’s marriage appears to be over. Erin moves out into a small apartment, desperately needing anonymity and distance from her old life. Getting close to another child is too ridiculous to even contemplate – she can’t even walk into her daughter’s old room - but that is what happens when Erin meets Bella. As Travis is driven to desperate measures to provide for his daughter, his actions put Bella, Robin and Erin closer to disaster.

Travis’ story mesmerized me immediately. The author easily conveys his love for his daughter and then his desperation to provide for her, provoking him to make foolish and unwise choices.

As the story moved into Erin and Michael’s story, my initial impression was, "Oh, no not another marriage in jeopardy due to a child’s death." However while the focus is on Erin’s loss, it is balanced by her healing interactions with Bella.

Robin’s story for me is the weakest. Being an invalid a large portion of her life insulated her from her true feelings, but I still had difficulty believing that she suppressed so many emotions. While there are sound psychological reasons she went from one controlling relationship to another, it made me question her rapid transformation.

The story moves from one character to another and, while I was more interested in Travis, all the plots held my interest. The story has a romance, but the book is based more on situational catastrophes and how each character deals with them, which worked very well for me.

It is nice to find another author that balances personal growth, well-rounded characters and believable romance. I know I will be checking out Ms. Chamberlain’s backlist.

Reviewed by Leigh Davis
Grade : B
Book Type: Women's Fiction

Sensuality: Subtle

Review Date : June 15, 2012

Publication Date: 2012/05

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