⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2

Pablo Pinkerton is a middle-aged police officer, married 29 years to Delilah, with a lovely family consisting of 4 grown children and a gorgeous home in the British countryside that is an ongoing source of focus for his considerable DIY skills.

Pablo is an outgoing man, large in both physical presence and personality; confident, opinionated and expansive he approaches life with a blustery independence and an easy charm. His wife, Delilah, diminutive in size and emotional volubility has stood quietly by his side in apparent love and support for the duration of their marriage.

All that changes, quickly and disastrously, when Pablo finds himself in hot water at work as “corrosive insinuations” surface to threaten his career, his freedom, and most distressingly of all, his marriage. As his world begins to unravel, Pablo faces his crumbling marriage with disbelief; refusing to accept any outcome other than a continuation of the steady and sustaining state he has come to believe he inhabits.

As the plot develops, twists and turns take our hero through a journey that is hard to predict and emotionally difficult for the reader (and of course, the main protagonist).

Equal parts heartbreaking, frustrating, and fascinating, as we come to appreciate the layers of Pablo’s defenses that play into his unique perspective, it becomes clear that his world-view and reality differs hugely from that of his significant others, with tragic and terrible consequences.

A passionate and poignant character study, this book should be required reading for students of counseling disciplines. Without giving the plot away (no spoilers here) let me just say that although clearly Pablo’s life will never be the same again, it remains to be seen if his impenetrable core will experience any change at all.

A great big thank you to the author for an ARC of this book. All thoughts presented are my own.

@BrunoBeaches #TillDeathWeDoPart #bookreview