The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner

 

Publisher: Berkley

Publication date: Februari 2nd 2021

Pages: 384

April 1906. Sophie Whalen is a young woman from Ireland, who immigrated to New York, and is now desperate to flee her broken tenement life, and replies to a contact advert by a man who seeks a new wife and a new mom for his little daughter in San Francisco. Her new man, a widower she doesn't know is Martin Hocking, a handsome but very distant man. They get married the same day Sophie arrives in San Francisco, and she moves in his house and start caring for his little daughter Kat.  Martin is away a lot for days for his work, and Sophie think nothing of it until one day a year later he is away again for weeks and a woman named Belinda stands on her doorstep. She asks if Martin is home, because he had important business to do with her husband, and her husband hasn't come home for days. When Belinda sees the wedding picture of Sophie and Martin, everything changes for both of them, because Sophie's husband is also Belinda's husband, and it seems he has multiple aliases. Things get out of hand when Martin returns home and is confronted by Sophie about his lies, and ends with a wounded Martin, and then the earth starts shaking badly in a big earthquake. Their lives are shattered, but due to their strong will they surivive and make a new start..but not before they find out the truth behind the shady Martin Hocking and that Kat's real mother isn't dead as Martin claimed, but still alive..

I have read previous books by Susan Meissner which I liked so I was very curious for her newest read. This book really keeps you on the edge of your seat!! There is so much mysterious happening and this story is filled with plot twist after plot twist. It was very captivating and i truly was guessing every time what would happen next. But everytime i though i knew (the only thing that was predictable that it is a bit questionable to marry a man you dont know..but that aside..) there was something entirely different happening in the story, which I really loved about this book. Sophie is an amazing main character, what I loved most about her was that she really cared about Kat who is a very silent girl, she truly became her real mom with her best interests at heart. And i loved how Sophie and Belinda truly became close friends and formed a pact agains the misdeeds of Martin. Who in the end finally gets what he deserves..

Overall a breathtaking rollercoaster of a story! Recommend it!