Bird in Hand by Christina Baker Kline

I suppose there are only so many scenarios one could write about and then it’s about the setting, the characters and the dialogue. Such is the case with this story.

The book begins with an automobile accident on a dark, rainy night. One of the main female characters (Alison) is driving and her blood alcohol level proves to be just above the legal limit. Someone is killed and guilt raises its’ ugly head, pervading the sanctity of the rest of her life

We also have a threesome consisting of Ben, Alison’s best friend Claire, and Alison’s husband Charlie. The three connected in college, have travelled together and remain connected even though they have gone on to marry, move away from each other and get on with their lives.

Alison and Charlie seem to live a somewhat idyllic life, have two small children (a boy and a girl of course) and live in the suburbs. Alison is a stay-at-home mother although she does do some freelance editing. Charlie works in the city and commutes each day.

The scope of the tragedy masks the already deteriorating marriage of Charlie and Alison and the reader may assume that one leads to the other and perhaps it does. In all, this is not just the unraveling of a marriage but also friendship among the various characters. It is a testimony of how two people “in love” can cast all sense, security and loyalty to the wind- in pursuit of what they feel they are entitled to.

This was a well-written, albeit familiar story.

Ladybookbug!