Grace Reinhart
Sachs is a professional in charge of her life…
Grace is a therapist and writer. She’s
also a wife and mother. Her son attends the same private school
she did. Her husband is a kindhearted, handsome pediatric
oncologist. And, now, Vogue is interviewing Grace about her
work and her new book, You Should Have Known. Grace is intelligent
but comes across as judgmental about women who make mistakes
– women like her patients. Readers/listeners learn a
lot about Grace in the first part of the book. Her life growing
up seems picture perfect. So perfect she’s been reliving
it through her son for the last twelve years. The authorportrays
Grace as an intelligent character but when she’s is
thrown out of her picture-perfect world, it doesn’t
seem like that’s really the case.
Grace takes time out of her busy schedule
to drive her son to his appointments and help with the private
school committee. The other mothers are eccentric and say
absurd things out loud, such as asking Grace how her husband
can stand caring for children with cancer, asking the “Toe
Guy” (Podiatrist) to donate a toe surgery to their school
fund raiser, or better yet - Grace to donate a couple’s
therapy session. Grace sees working with them trying, but
a necessity. When one mother is found dead everyone assumes
it doesn’t involve any of them - they just don’t
seem very bright. To add to this recent tragedy, Grace’s
husband’s disappears while on a trip. Grace suffers
false hopes and disheartening revelations - and during this
time, I’m wondering: Should she have known?
Grace comes across as a perfectionist. When
life throws her a curveball (upside the head), she has to
dig deep in her therapist bag to protect herself and her child.
The story is well written and marketed as fiction, but it’s
the mystery embedded in the storyline that had me riveted.
It’s not your typical mystery; that’s only one
part of the main character’s life altering change. Also
there is a New York Officer who Grace takes to - not as a
friend or relationship, but as someone who wants to do his
job and provide her with some sort of closure.
You Should Have Known is an interesting
listen. Actress Christina Delaine reads the audio version.
She successfully delivers the heart of Grace to the readers.
She also does a straight-faced narration of those wealthy
(not to mention peculiar) mothers on the committee. I still
can’t get over that group of women.
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