Forever, Interrupted
Publication Date: July 9, 2013
Pages: 352
Elsie Porter is a twenty-something young woman living in Los Angeles. She has her dream job as a librarian and the apartment of her dreams. She orders a pizza one night, New Years night to be exact, and rather than waiting for the nearly two hour delivery time she decides to run down and pick it up. That night changed her life forever, for it is at that pizza place that Elsie meets Ben Ross, who is also waiting for a pizza.
The sparks between Elsie and Ben fly in a way that Elsie has never expected. It is not long before they are each other's "everything". Every waking moment is either spent together or spent thinking about each other. It is not long before they both declare the other one "the one" and Ben is moving in with Elsie. And before summer hits they have eloped and Elsie is beyond thrilled to be "Mrs.Ben Ross". Nine days after their wedding Elsie sends Ben out to get her Fruity Pebbles and he never comes home. He is struck and killed in a tragic traffic accident that interrupts "Forever After". In the aftermath of the tragedy is the fact that there is a second "Mrs. Ross" that Elsie must deal with. Ben's mother who, not only did not know that Ben was married, but did not even know that Elsie existed. The coming days and months are spent in utter grief and devastation, but also at battle with Ben's mother. Will the two women come to terms and share their grief and their memories of Ben, or will their collective grief destroy them both?
Forever, Interrupted is one of those novels that packs quite a punch and leaves an unexpected emotional impact on the reader. The story flashes back and forth from the "before" months when Ben and Elsie were together and the "after" months following his death. I loved how the author weaved books and the library into the plot, it really connected me to Ben and Elsie. I also found myself connecting to Elsie and her disbelief that she was married and that he was really gone. I remember in the days and weeks after I got married it just didn't seem real, so I could really relate to Elsie in that aspect. As the months after Ben's death go by, the relationship between Elsie and Susan was an unique one. It really added to the emotional punch the book had on me.
Bottom line, I will be really surprised if
Forever, Interrupted doesn't get optioned by someone in Hollywood. The story is unique and touching. In my head I was already casting the roles, Meryl Streep would make a perfect "Susan". If you are looking for something to touch your heart, find a copy of
Forever, Interrupted. Like right now. Go.
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