The story starts on a brutally gorgeous June day in the small town of Monroe, Massachusetts. Ethan and Jorie, the perfect, beautiful couple, have been married for 13 years, and they're still very much in love. Ethan is handsome, reliable and a pillar of the community. But 13 years ago, far away in Maryland, he committed a brutal rape and murder. A young girl's phone call exposes him, and nothing will ever be the same for any of them again; as nothing could ever be the same for that other young girl who was raped all those ...
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The story starts on a brutally gorgeous June day in the small town of Monroe, Massachusetts. Ethan and Jorie, the perfect, beautiful couple, have been married for 13 years, and they're still very much in love. Ethan is handsome, reliable and a pillar of the community. But 13 years ago, far away in Maryland, he committed a brutal rape and murder. A young girl's phone call exposes him, and nothing will ever be the same for any of them again; as nothing could ever be the same for that other young girl who was raped all those years ago, or for her family. Jorie's best friend Charlotte has breast cancer. Her cancer is cut out and treated, and she looks set to survive. Whereas the cancer that has eaten away invisibly at a marriage, a family and a community may not kill but it destroys just as insidiously. This is a powerful, disturbing novel about the dark shadows in ordinary lives, about the ripples that carry on indefinitely from a violent act. And the blue diary of the title belonged to the dead girl...As in all Hoffman's novels, all the characters come alive, each with their own vibrant personalitites and concerns, in a story which is as powerfully gripping as any by Anita Shreve or Nicci French.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
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Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Aged book. Tanned pages and age spots, however, this will not interfere with reading. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages.
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Seller's Description:
Very Good. Ethan and Jorie, the perfect couple, have been married for 13 years, and are still very much in love. But 13 years ago, Ethan committed a brutal rape and murder. A young girl's phone call exposes him, and nothing will ever be the same for them again. Num Pages: 320 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 130 x 21. Weight in Grams: 230. Clean copy. 2002. Paperback.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Ethan and Jorie, the perfect couple, have been married for 13 years, and are still very much in love. But 13 years ago, Ethan committed a brutal rape and murder. A young girl's phone call exposes him, and nothing will ever be the same for them again. Num Pages: 320 pages. BIC Classification: FA. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 130 x 21. Weight in Grams: 230. Well-read paperback in good condition. Some shelf wear; may have some light soiling. 2002. Paperback.....We ship daily from our Bookshop.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. Though second-hand, the book is still in very good shape. Minimal signs of usage may include very minor creasing on the cover or on the spine.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Dispatched, from the UK, within 48 hours of ordering. This book is in good condition but will show signs of previous ownership. Please expect some creasing to the spine and/or minor damage to the cover. Grubby book may have mild dirt or some staining, mostly on the edges of pages.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Hoffman paints her story in broad strokes as she tackles the phenomena of the vampire. She does seem to leave out some deeper exploration of the psyche of the vampire and his effect on other people, so the story is a little crude but utterly readable and may still lead to some deeper speculation on the mystical potent of good or evil.
The vampire Ethan is seen to cast no reflection in the mirror by the neighbor girl Kat Williams who is also a friend of Ethan's son Collie. Hoffman also describes the young Ethan as one whose dreams "stuck to him and made him shine" although they were empty.
Don't you know anyone like this? They often have a mate because always they need someone to feed on. Vampires have a lot of discipline: they know how to suck it up, but deep inside they are still evil. The can turn it on and shine and be oddly beguiling at times but seem to cast a long shadow and at other times bring out the worst in people who may be unaware of whence comes the dark influence. Leaving others with "sympathy for the devil" when their mate blows up. In their past they have dark sins; not necessarily murder but, like plagiarism, or the worst kind of sabotage of the romance of others, or other professional and personal infidelities and they tend to believe their own lies.
In the broadest strokes Hoffman asks how can someone this good be this bad or vice versa, and how can we be so deluded by them. Actually she gives the deepest exploration to the character Kat Williams who "knows she's bad" but shows compassion and care for other characters unlike Ethan who merely performs for an audience. Also Kat is the character that sees Ethan's true empty self lacking reflection in the mirror.