This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration.

Pretending to Dance

Molly Arnette is a good liar. Married to a man she adores, living in San Diego, and eager to adopt a baby since she is unable to have a child- Molly feels fear as the adoption process turns personal- and the social worker begins to question Molly about her past.

Why is Molly nervous?

Because she’s told a lie. A lie, that if her husband found out, might destroy every bit of happiness she has found. And Molly could not handle that- especially since she lost so much happiness when she was 14 and living in North Carolina. 

What happened when Molly was a teenager? Will her lie come to light? These and many more questions will be answered in Diane Chamberlain’s latest, PRETENDING TO DANCE.

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I’m a good liar.

 

From the first line of PRETENDING TO DANCE, the reader feels a chill. Is Molly a pathological liar or does she have a good reason to lie?

As the readers gets further in the story, the reader realizes that Molly has good reasons to lie- she’s trying to forge a healthy life and move forward- with an adoption and a husband. To live the life she’s longed for many years.

PRETENDING TO DANCE is a story told from two distinct time periods: Molly’s current life and Molly at 14- when she was living the summer of teen’s dreams- New Kids on the Block concert, Dr. Martens, and her taste at first love.

Between the back and forth of the chapters dealing with Molly (current and 14 year old)- we, the readers, find out what happened that blissful summer- and how it shaped her, her relationships and why it’s making her question certain aspects of the adoption process.

PRETENDING TO DANCE is a story that deals with multiple issues: coming of age story, life with an incurable illness, dignity, death, and secrets. It also sheds light on adoption- open versus closed- and may make readers reconsider their previous thought process on   potential hot button issues.

There has been much misinformation floating around about PRETENDING TO DANCE being a sequel to last year’s THE SILENT SISTER. It’s not. There are some similarities- secrets and geography, mainly- but they are not related books.

Bottom line: If you’ve enjoyed Diane’s previous books- this should please you. New to Diane? Then you’ve picked a nice book to start reading!

 

*This book was sent to Traveling With T from St. Martin’s Press for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

 

Happy Reading and Bookishly Yours,

T @ Traveling With T