The Book:
The Sweetest Days by John Hough Jr.
Published June 22nd 2021 by Gallery Books
Date read: June 29, 2021
The Characters:
Pete and Jackie
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
The Plot (from Goodreads):
This portrait of marriage explores the long union of a middle-aged couple as they grapple with secrets, illness, and loyalty.
Pete and Jackie were high school sweethearts. Everyone expected them to marry immediately but an explosive incident tore them apart before graduation. It took years for the two to heal and finally come back together. Now, decades later, they face an uncertain future with their only child out on her own and alarming news about Jackie’s health.
Determined to stay positive, the two travel to their Cape hometown for a book signing of Pete’s debut novel. But when a disastrous encounter in the bookstore with an old classmate brings their long relationship to the breaking point, they are forced to examine their marriage and explore their deepest feelings.
The Review:
I had trouble getting into this one, which mostly had to do with it being different than the type of book I was in the mood for. Character-driven novels don’t always do it for me anyway. I found the beginning somewhat confusing on audio, as I wasn’t entirely sure what was going on or what the story was about. The description on Goodreads doesn’t really say much!
Once the story got going and I figured out what was going on, I got into it a little bit more, but it was still somewhat frustrating and confusing to follow. Jackie and Peter seem to hate each other (not to mention their daughter), so I’m not sure why they’re together.
I didn’t really connect to the characters. They were all unlikeable in their own way. Peter was a dick for not being honest with Jackie and for how he treated her when they were kids; Jackie needed to let the past go, stop being jealous of a dead girl, and also stand up for herself; and the side characters were all awful too.
Unclear about the title too–there was nothing sweet about these days.
The ending made up for a lot of it, though. I thought things we well resolved, and there was some growth on Peter’s part at the end. I’m glad he and his daughter are close.
I think a lot of it went over my head and may have been a bit too old for me. I’m not married yet, so I don’t understand the nuances of choosing to stay married to someone you know isn’t the love of your life. I think the target audience for this book would be someone who knows a little more about marriage than I do.