"Rescue" Review

 

Rescue

By Anita Shreve

7/10

My Synopsis:

Rescue is the story of Peter Webster.  Much to his parents’ dismay, Peter has chosen not to go into the family business but to follow a different path instead.  As a rookie paramedic, he answers a call that will forever change his life.  The call is to rescue a woman who has crashed her car into a tree.  The woman is Sheila and Peter is soon head over heels in love with her.  Going against policy, he tracks her down and makes contact.  But Sheila’s world is not what Peter is used to at all.  It is a world of violence, lies, alcoholism and much more.  The story follows their intense love affair and then breaks to eighteen years in the future, when Peter is raising their daughter Rowan as a single father.  Should Peter tell his daughter about her mother and what truly transpired between them?  Will knowing affect Rowan’s future?  Is it possible to be a happy family again?
 
My Opinion:
This book was two distinct stories to me.  The first part being the story of the past where Peter and Sheila meet and fall in love.  This portion of the book I liked – a young couple struggling to make things work.  I was hoping that the other half would be just as good but I just wasn’t as interested in that part.  I was really looking forward to reading this book as I have read some of Ms. Shreve’s other works.  This was not my favorite though.  As in her other books, the writing is descriptive and realistic.  The emotions of her characters run deep and can in some ways be felt by the reader they are so strong.  Maybe it was this awesome writing that made me hate the character of Sheila so bad.   I felt protective of Peter, the character I liked, and resented Sheila and what she was putting him through.  Because Rowan showed or thought she showed characteristics inherited from her mother, I couldn’t really decide how I felt about her.  Ms. Shreve’s description of the traits and tendencies of alcoholics was eye opening to say the least.  I also really enjoyed reading about the life of an emergency rescue responder.  She is an amazing storyteller who paints a picture with her words.  I was unhappy with the ending because I really didn’t like the way that the story ended.  I wanted more and I wanted something different than what I got.  While it wasn’t “The Pilot’s Wife”, my favorite of Ms. Shreve’s works, I am still look forward to reading more of her vivid accounts of the lives of her characters.  7/10