Pictures of You

Pictures of You, by Caroline Leavitt


From the publisher: Two women running away from their marriages collide on a foggy highway, killing one of them. The survivor, Isabelle, is left to pick up the pieces, not only of her own life, but of the lives of the devastated husband and fragile son that the other woman, April, has left behind. Together, they try to solve the mystery of where April was running to, and why. As these three lives intersect, the book asks, How well do we really know those we love—and how do we forgive the unforgivable?


This was one book that I just couldn't put down! I had to force myself to stop when my lunch break was over. I kept wanting to know what would happen, as if it would keep going if I wasn't sitting there reading the book. 


It started it out with Isabelle driving away from her husband, from a life that she no longer lived. Unfortunately, a thick fog came in, and she ended up in a horrific accident. She ended up returning to the town she had just left, trying to figure out a life, sorting out here feelings for Charlie (husband of the woman she killed) and Sam (the son). I found myself cheering for Isabelle, then becoming angry with her decisions. I wanted to shake her, then I wanted to just sit and talk and tell her I sympathized. I appreciated how photography took a role in this book, perhaps because I've been more interested in taking pictures lately. While the ending and I didn't necessarily agree, I cannot complain. I mean, you can't control the way life leads all the time either, right?


I really do recommend this book, and I look forward to picking up other books by Ms. Leavitt when I have some free time.


Special thank you go Michael from Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill for allowing me to read this title!