A Life Apart

A Life Apart  by L. Y. Marlow

Months ago I received this book as an advance copy and read it, but I forgot to post a review so I reread it to do my review justice.  And guess what?  I liked it just as much, maybe even more, the second time as I did the first. 

When you look at the cover you might think it’s a Romance novel, all lavender and pretty.  But don’t judge a book by it’s cover.  This story is anything but simple. 

Morris and Agnes find themselves in a dilemma.  She is pregnant and it’s the early 1940’s.  Morris does the honorable thing and marries Agnes but then immediately enlists in the Navy to support the impending war.  He is sent to Pearl Harbor, and, well, you know what happens next. 

Morris’s life is saved by someone he doesn’t know.  Robert Dobbins courageously saved many men that Sunday morning and then died himself.  Robert Dobbins was black.  Morris was white.

When he gets the chance, Morris visits Robert’s sister Beatrice to pay respects and honor the sacrifice Robert made so Morris could live.  And Morris falls instantly in love with Beatrice.  Thus begins a lifelong struggle with himself, his family, with Beatrice and the social morals of the time.

Morris never doesn’t love Beatrice and he struggles with his double life for the rest of his own. There are allegiances to family and then there is society. And there is love. There are wrongs and the struggle to forgive.  And there is love.

This is anything but a simple story.  Things just keep happening and I hesitate to say too much for fear of spoiler alerts.  When I read a story I like to know generally what it is about but I don’t want the whole story told to me. I want to find out for myself, to be surprised, to gasp or tsk or laugh or cry as the story unfolds for me.  

 

You would do well to let this story unfold for you.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.