I’m a bit embarrassed by how much I was enthralled by this book. I sat on the couch and told my sons I was not moving until I finished it and don’t expect me to get up unless it was an emergency, like if their limbs fell off (to which my younger son replied “What about if my head falls off? Or my toe?”)
This a lovely little domestic thriller involving two rather big secrets and the married couple who keep them from one another.
It’s the day of Livia’s 40th birthday and the party she’s been dreaming of for twenty years is about to commence. To her credit, she knows throwing herself a lavish party is a little shallow, but she’s didn’t have much of a wedding and heck, she’s got such a lovely dress that needs wearing. Livia has some secret knowledge regarding her daughter Marnie that she hasn’t shared with her husband, Adam (don’t be slack – read the book to find out what it is). When is the right time to tell him? Should she tell him at all? Therein lies the dilemma.
Livia is secretly relieved that Marnie, who lives overseas, won’t be able to make it home for the party. But little does she know that Adam has secretly arranged for Marnie to fly home, as a surprise. As the day progresses Adam gains his own secret knowledge about Marnie (again, read the book people!). Does he tell Livia before the party or allow her a few more precious hours of happiness? Therein lies the second dilemma.
Watching these twin tortured souls orbit around one another and interact with their friends and family while each harbouring a deeply disturbing secret is way more interesting than it sounds. B.A. Paris is getting better at creating complex, likeable characters and this is a better, classier thriller than her previous novels. It relies less on unexpected twists and more on character and a long, slow ratcheting up of tension.
I finished the book in a blissfully uninterrupted couple of hours on the couch (thanks, boys, for maintaining a full set of limbs). I just had to find out what happened to Marnie. So take my advice; dodge your duties, embrace your inner sloth and see if The Dilemma has the same effect on you. 3.5 stars.
