#36 A Map of the World by Jane Hamilton

I read this during my convalescence this week. It was... eh. The book was divided up into 3 main parts, 2 were narrated by Alice, a public school nurse accused of sexual abuse and one by her husband Howard, a dairy farmer. It wasn't that interesting really. The novel's narration felt like it was part of a marriage counseling session and I didn't really feel anything for the characters, except for Theresa, Alice's best friend.

I was sucked in at the beginning, when under Alice's charge, Theresa's daughter drowns in a pond on the farm's property. After that though, it all fell apart and I lost interest. I keep reading though to find out whether Alice really committed the abuse or not. Even the time she spent in jail, because she and her husband couldn't afford her bail, seemed boring to me.

I heard good things about the author and one of the reviews on the book says that Hamilton is one the best authors around (after what, only 2 books by the time this was written). I should know better than to get sucked into hyperbole like that. Unfortunately, it was one of my purchases at the book sale, so if anyone is still interested after that stunning review, it's all yours. If anyone has read any of Hamilton's other books, I'm interested in what you thought of them. Maybe I just don't get her?