All He Ever Wanted, Anita Shreve

This shelf is my favourite novels, so there are a lot of 'first of' books. This one is my first Anita Shreve, and while quiet devastation is a hallmark of hers, this one is as subtle as a scalpel; a portrait of a love so convoluted, it is weaponized, and it is that ultra-soft touch that makes this tragedy bearable, even beautiful; fascinating, the way a Devilfish is.
I read this on a long bus trip to find someone who didn't want to be found after rehab gave up on her, and the sad human frailty and colourless world this novel describes corroborated the rusty towns and shabby roadside inns that lay along the path of my sorry quest. Maybe I felt better just because I wasn't them, but there was something deeper, like a purging, a lancing too, and I felt cleaner, clearer, than when I began reading. It was painful, but it was bearable pain, and that somehow made my pain more bearable.
I bought this at the homey Balfour Books on College Street, one of our last local bookstores, recently manhandled into smaller quarters further down the way. I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank them for being a consistently reliable source of great books.
I love this one, but there is still a lot of Anita Shreve I haven't read, so I'm letting this one go.
Score - 0 (1 book saved, 1 book released)