Kathryn Maughan

Did I Expect Angels? by Kathryn Maughan

Release date: 2007 / 168 pages

First line: “My hands are shaking again.”

Synopsis (from back cover): “Jennifer Huffaker knows that grief is normal, but she thought she’d get over it — that’s what people do.  But it’s been eighteen months since her husband Jack died, and she still can’t focus on her young daughter Kaitlin, can’t accept support from her family, and can’t allow herself to live without the love of her life.  Jennifer is angry at everything and everyone — including herself for being so unprepared.  but what did she expect?  Angels?”

Review:  I really enjoyed many qualities in this novel and was only bothered by a few things.  First, the positive!  Maughan alternates the perspectives of two narrators: Jennifer, the grieving wife, and Henry, a greeter at the local pharmacy, who has also experienced grief.  Initially, it seemed a bit strange that this greeter would just know Jennifer was in dire need of support and “force” her to have coffee and listen to his life story.  But, a little suspension of disbelief isn’t a bad thing.

Fortunately, both of the narrators are compelling story-tellers and their respective life-stories are very, very different.  Henry is from Costa Rica and “traditional” in many ways.  Jennifer’s story is quite contemporary and “familiar” so the parallel stories of each’s courtship, marriage, parenthood, and personal struggles are fascinating in how the common milestones of life are interpreted differently in different cultures — and we are allowed to examine our own journeys, too.  The core values are the same — the quest for identity, fulfillment, love, and survival — but framing these elements through the perspective of different genders and cultures is illuminating.

Now, here’s what eluded me…  I just didn’t like Jennifer or find her that sympathetic!  This surprised me since I obviously felt terrible about her loss, but her inability to put her daughter before her own grief was upsetting and even a little hard to believe.  I can’t imagine, seriously, what I would do if I lost my husband, but when I lost my brother, I managed to feed and walk my dog, realizing that she had no control over her basic needs and that my pain should not destroy her life as well.  So, it seems hard to believe Jennifer wouldn’t do this for her child, especially since her workaholic husband wasn’t really a part of the daily routine of her life.  Not to discount her emotional loss, but I was really irritated with her through much of the second half of the novel.

On the other hand, Henry’s sense of responsibility was actually an element in his downfall.  He is extremely sympathetic throughout, even when at his most flawed.  He was a problem-solver from the very beginning to the end, and — fortunately for Jennifer — decided to help her solve her problem. 

Which is one other struggle I had — Jennifer was so resistant to helping herself or accepting other’s help it was a little hard to believe that her conversation with Henry would change her outlook so much. 

So, to recap — I enjoyed how the novel was structured and Henry was an engaging and interesting narrator, but Jennifer was a little hard to take.  However, these minor complaints may make this novel even better for a book club discussion!

Now, if you would like to read a free copy of this novel, simply drop me a comment!  I’ll randomly draw a winner this Friday!

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