The Art of Falling

This book is packed. With not one but several storylines. Each involving one woman. Still stinging after finding out about her husbands affair and nervously awaiting how an unexpected run-in with an old friend might bring unresolved feelings to the surface, all while eagerly amidst a work project near to her heart.

Nessa is trying to keep it together. Her marriage. Her daughter who seems to be out of sorts and now her past. An art history lover with a job that has become more complicated than she anticipated. More players than expected. All overlapping with both her personal and professional lives.

THE ART OF FALLING has just enough of everything scandal, secrets, intrigue, obsession. None of the characters are trustworthy. McLaughlin pulls you in to this feverish tale yet what grabs you most are the sprinkles of minor details of everyday life that she so skillfully conveys, making you forget you are reading a thriller. Now that, is talent.

Was hoping to enjoy this more. I never got a real feel for any of the characters. Most annoying was a running backstory involving the main characters work in art, it was uninteresting. Her husband is very shallowly drawn so the reader never gets a sense of why he was unfaithful or how he feels now. Would have preferred deeper and more finely described characters.

I loved this book–The deep, complex multi-layered meditations on art, the creative process, the relationship between the artist and his/her creative work, the question of who “really” created a piece of art are beautifully woven together into this mesmerizing novel. The complexities of relationships among those connected to the artist, the artistic process, the presentation of a work of art to the public are dynamically explored in the context of years-long deeply-hidden, unacknowledged “truths” about the creation of sculptures. What are we really looking at? The novel posed so many questions about the meaning and process of art. I was enchanted by Ms. McLaughlin’s every page. I never wanted the book to end. The author also examines the incredibly complex relationships among members of several families as they uncover previously unacknowledged aspects of long-ago and current relationships. An outstanding novel!

It’s an easy read and serves its purpose when I want to read a little before bed. But it’s by no means a gripping story. Just good enough.

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