Monday, May 12, 2014

The Divorce Papers by Susan Rieger

Leaving behind "normal" layout of  chapter filled with paragraphs that lead to the next chapter filled with more paragraphs Divorce Papers tells the story, in such a clever way, of Mia & Danny's divorce, the impact on their daughter Jane, Mia's father and the life of Mia's lawyer Sophie the criminal lawyer working her first and last divorce case. The entire story unfolds inside the file for Mia's divorce in the form of emails, hand written notes, interoffice memo, and court filings.

One might think that this format would keep the reader from going below the surface and really getting to know the characters. Not so. Susan Rieger (Mount Holyoke class of 68) manages to get to the heart of characters. Why does Sophie hate working a divorce case? Is Mia more than her bitter anger?

Divorce Papers draws you into the story and you end up getting to know Mia and Sophie. While not a traditional writing style, it gets to the heart of who they are. I really liked both women. While not perfect they felt real and relatable.

(finished May 11, 2014)

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