Since I Don't Have You

Book title: Since I Don't Have You
Author: Louise Candlish
Amount of pages: 408

I picked up this book because of one reason: It's about friendships. I have a strong interest when it comes to exploring deeper into the true meaning of friendships and relationship. So I thought, heck, this should be a good book. Except that I didn't expect it to tell me a 20 years (or more) story of a woman who is seeking a way to recover from grief. Twenty years as time frame for a novel is just killer, bores the readers to death totally!

Synopsis from Little Brown
They were friends who shared everything - until tragedy singled one out.

At the birth of their daughters best friends Rachel, Mariel and Jenny make a promise: to love and care for each other's girls exactly as they would their own.

Six years later and a tragedy has torn them apart. Within weeks, Rachel has packed up and gone. Settling on the beautiful, windswept Greek island of Santorini, she knows she has come to the right place, but as she slowly rebuilds her world she can't forget the pledge she once made to her friends. She hires a private investigator, the enigmatic Johnny Palmer, and arranges for him to send regular updates on the girls she has left behind. Over the years, with Palmer's help, she is able to secretly soothe their growing pains - as well as those of their parents. But in Rachel's new island life far from home, who will be there to guide her?

Upon reading the last few chapters, you will realise that this book has more to do about a mother's grief than friendships. It's about how Rachel handles her grief and future bonds with people. It's about how a mother picks herself up to live without a piece of her. It's about coping with lost of loved ones while breathing amidst the ones who love you enough to stick with you.

The descriptions of how beautiful the island is or the sunset and surroundings are very detail, you can imagine the entire setting. However, it is a little too lengthy to digest, considering I prefer reading more about the characters than the place. Still, I hate books that talk about the entire life of someone. It reads more like a biography than anything else. Read this only if you are interested in details... and if you are grieving. It makes you feel as if someone do understand out there!