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A review by lmrivas54
The Man I Can't Have by Shanora Williams
5.0
Reading this story is like being on a train collision course. You know there will be a collision and you know there will a lot of hurt. I read the book in a state of fascination, watching how the author presents an adultery trope and makes it understandable, although heartbreaking.
Gabby and her husband Kyle have recently moved to a spectacular house, right next to the beach, in Hilton Head Island. She used to complain from the cold and dreary weather in New York, where they lived before, and this was her husband’s solution. The problem was that Kyle travels constantly for work, and now Gabby misses her family (parents and brother Ricky, and her best friend Teagan). She feels quite lonely, strangely dissatisfied with her life, and like something is lacking that doesn’t let her feel happy and content.
Enter Marcel Durant, landscape engineer, contracted by Gabby to fix the patio of the house into a lovely garden where Gabby can drink her morning coffee and enjoy the view of the beach. Marcel is a lovely specimen of a man who enjoys the outdoors, very fit, very handsome, and very kind. They’re immediately attracted to each other, and can’t help doing some flirting.
“He is so perfect—everything I’ve always wanted in a man. Too bad he can never be mine.”
Gabby is in a conflict; she feels attracted to Marcel, she feels lonely, and her husband is acting like a jerk. Moreover, everyone is telling her that her husband is a jerk, treats her like dirt, and she deserves much better. There’s this yearning for the attention of a man who will really satisfy her sexually, give her the attention she desires, in direct conflict with the guilt and a strange loyalty to her husband. Gabby married for comfort and convenience and there’s no real passion involved.
“There is something about a bored, rich housewife. They’re lonely creatures. All they want to do is talk”
Marcel is pushy and demanding, Gabby is torn by her attraction and need, the the stage is set for the inevitable crash. Although the book is about adultery which is abhorrent, the author makes a good case for why it happens here. There is something about Kyle we don’t like; he seems attentive and dismissive at the same time. He’s not a generous lover, barely pleasing his wife and mostly seeking his own pleasure.
The book ends in a spectacular cliffhanger, where we find surprising information that helps us understand Gabby’s mind-set much better. Now to wait impatiently for the conclusion!
Gabby and her husband Kyle have recently moved to a spectacular house, right next to the beach, in Hilton Head Island. She used to complain from the cold and dreary weather in New York, where they lived before, and this was her husband’s solution. The problem was that Kyle travels constantly for work, and now Gabby misses her family (parents and brother Ricky, and her best friend Teagan). She feels quite lonely, strangely dissatisfied with her life, and like something is lacking that doesn’t let her feel happy and content.
Enter Marcel Durant, landscape engineer, contracted by Gabby to fix the patio of the house into a lovely garden where Gabby can drink her morning coffee and enjoy the view of the beach. Marcel is a lovely specimen of a man who enjoys the outdoors, very fit, very handsome, and very kind. They’re immediately attracted to each other, and can’t help doing some flirting.
“He is so perfect—everything I’ve always wanted in a man. Too bad he can never be mine.”
Gabby is in a conflict; she feels attracted to Marcel, she feels lonely, and her husband is acting like a jerk. Moreover, everyone is telling her that her husband is a jerk, treats her like dirt, and she deserves much better. There’s this yearning for the attention of a man who will really satisfy her sexually, give her the attention she desires, in direct conflict with the guilt and a strange loyalty to her husband. Gabby married for comfort and convenience and there’s no real passion involved.
“There is something about a bored, rich housewife. They’re lonely creatures. All they want to do is talk”
Marcel is pushy and demanding, Gabby is torn by her attraction and need, the the stage is set for the inevitable crash. Although the book is about adultery which is abhorrent, the author makes a good case for why it happens here. There is something about Kyle we don’t like; he seems attentive and dismissive at the same time. He’s not a generous lover, barely pleasing his wife and mostly seeking his own pleasure.
The book ends in a spectacular cliffhanger, where we find surprising information that helps us understand Gabby’s mind-set much better. Now to wait impatiently for the conclusion!