This is the story of Cass Hugo, a dissatisfied army wife stuck in Jordan for two years while her husband Dan is working at the U.S. Embassy. While their marriage is in hell of not-conceiving; Cass is extremely bitter and lonely. She feels that she doesn’t fit in with the younger childless wives, and has nothing in common with the older wives with children. Into this mix, Dan decides that they will “sponsor” a new couple Crick and Margaret Brickshaw, along with their baby, Mather.
The novel is rife with each spouse assuming things about the other; Margaret not understanding the importance of following mores in Jordan; and Cass feeling that Margaret is refusing to follow the rules that have been established by the Embassy.
This novel is exciting, frustrating and all-together too real. The problems created by each person leads to the inevitable ending. I really liked this book. The characters were full of believable flaws, along with their natural hope in face of their problems. Life is hard, and being a spouse of a deployed soldier in a foreign country simply adds to the usual stresses. I highly recommend this novel. Well done, Fallon!
Siobhan Fallon
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