Just Breathe
Susan Wiggs
Mira, Sep 2008, $24.95
ISBN: 0778325776
In Chicago, Sarah Moon loves her husband of five years Jack Daly. She enjoys her work writing the comic strip Just Breathe whose star Shirl reflects much of the idiosyncrasies Sarah sees in life; but unlike Sarah Shirl often confronts the hypocrisy. Sarah has been undergoing infertility treatment until she came home and saw Jack, who had been struggling to get it up with her, naked and up with his “horsy” business associate.
She leaves heading home to Glenmuir, California while having Shirl represent her frustrations with men, divorce and being in your thirties while living under your mom’s roof. Ironically, Sarah is pregnant and even more sardonic, she and fire chief Will Bonner, a single father, are friends. He was her enemy in high school while his daughter Aurora is her teen replica of loneliness and angst from when she was in high school and, who already has mom issues exponentially compounded by her father and the cartoonist falling in love.
Susan Wiggs shows her greatness with this terrific second chance at love tale as she combines humor with the Shirl comic strip at the start of each chapter with deep angst laden relationship issues. The story line is obviously character driven by the lead couple and Aurora; but what makes this so good is the reader will cry and laugh with the lead trip throughout. Ms. Wiggs provides a superb family drama filled with love.
Harriet Klausner
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