As friends and family gather for the funeral of charming and charismatic Seb Cooper, three women sit in the congregation, mourning his loss.
First there is Clair, Seb’s wife and partner of twenty years, and mother of his two children. Furious at Seb for dying and leaving their children without a father, Clair isn’t sure of her place, and has been left baffled and bemused by the conflicting stories of Seb’s last days.
Then there’s Desiree, the woman Seb left Clair for. Heartbroken, self-conscious, and wondering if she made a mistake coming today.
And the third and noisiest mourner of all is Noemie – Seb’s lover and the last woman to see him alive.
Three women who loved Seb in their own different ways.
Three women whose lives have now changed forever.
But only one woman knows what really happened at the end…and only one truly had his heart… (Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)
At the start of this book, I questioned why there were three women mourning the loss of Seb. What sort of relationships he must have had in order for that to even occur. As the story unfolds, I began to see just how true-to-life the experiences could be. Coming from my own past that includes happily-ever-afters and broken relationships, I could relate.
Seb had come from a background of ambiguity and hidden truths. I couldn’t even believe it when a major event within the story reveals just how much of his past hadn’t even been visible to him, which turned into unwanted baggage that carried with him the rest of his life. I felt like that was a real turning point for his marriage with Clair. Later, when Seb connects with Desiree, I could tell that as much as they seemed to be on the same page with what they both wanted/needed from their relationship, there wasn’t enough conversation on the hard-hitting topics that could really make or break a couple. And then there’s Noemie–a real force to be reckoned with. She was the consummate diva and added a healthy dose of drama on every page you found her on.
From chapter to chapter, we go from the past and the relationship Seb is in, to the current and his funeral, where we have a focal point on the characters who had been represented in the past. A nice contrast for then vs. now, so the reader could see just how much had changed and in essence, why the character feels the way they do now or sees the world differently. I felt that the most with Desiree. There were a lot of unrequited goals for her that I felt drawn to, making me really sympathize with her.
Mixed within this emotionally charged read is the mystery of how Seb really died. Sprinkled are snippets of the moments that led to it, seen through the eyes of those who were there as witnesses. I kept going back and forth on whether anyone else should have been held responsible until the very end. It was an intense experience, but one I’m glad to have had.
Thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for the book in exchange for an honest review.
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