Description
A universal story of redemption. If Prue’s marriage doesn’t kill her then her behavior will. Curious about her broken man-picker, Prue digs into her past to find the answers.
For too many years, Prudence Aldrich has been numbing the pain in her life with random sexual encounters. Her marriage to cold, self-centered Nick is, not surprisingly, on the rocks. But after several dangerous experiences with strangers, Prudence finally realizes she needs therapy to stop her self-destructive behavior, and so she checks into the Serenity Hills rehab center.
Prudence blames herself for her irresponsible behavior and is filled with self-loathing. She’s convinced she is completely at fault for Nick’s manipulative attitude and believes with therapy, she can return their relationship to its idyllic beginnings. However, her therapist and the other members of her rehab group see the person behind the pain. As Prudence learns more about herself and the reasons for her behavior, including startling revelations about her childhood, she begins to understand the basis for her lack of sexual self-respect. She also learns she is not entirely to blame for the failure of her marriage.
With the positive reinforcement of everyone at Serenity Hills, Prudence learns not to define herself by her past. But moving forward would mean letting go of Nick for good, and Prudence isn’t sure she can.
Sign up for our daily deals email to be notified of when an ebook in a genre you love is on sale!
A self-diagnosed sex addict, Prudence (Prue) Aldrich has finally reached her breaking point, and upon the suggestion of her therapist, has checked herself into a rehab program. The book’s focus is the work she undertakes while there, and in flashbacks, the sources/causes for her life taking the downward spiral that it did.
For the most part, the novel is written in the first person, and the author effectively utilizes italicized text to allow the reader to experience Prue’s inner thoughts. As she ages, the thoughts become increasingly pervasive and filled with negativity. Overall, this is a fascinating and at times harrowing story, however I feel there were a few hiccups in the writing process. The author uses shifts in time to unfold Prue’s complete history. At times there is a lack of clarity when shifting time and place. In addition, at the novel’s end, Irwin attempts to tie together the title and imagery from a fairytale shared by Prue’s benefactor. This falls a bit flat.
As stated earlier, this is a fascinating story, which shows a great deal of thought and research went into the material. It will serve Irwin well should she decide to continue Prue’s story where it lets off. Warning: Sexual content and Child Abuse Depictions