Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin | Fiction, Romance | ENTERTAINMENT
Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin
Reviewed by Julie Becker
Anyone who's had a fleeting moment of doubt regarding their choice in a partner will enjoy Emily Giffin's "Love the One You're With." (St. Martin's Press, May 2008. $13.75 ISBN-10: 0312348673).
Ellen Graham's life is on track in more ways than one. She followed her passion and makes a living as a prolific photographer in New York City. She recently married Andy, a successful, confident man who's easy on the eyes and is the brother of her best girlfriend, Margot. And, best of all, Andy absolutely adores Ellen.
Ellen's storybook life is shaken one rainy day when she passes Leo, her scorching first love, on a New York City crosswalk. Leo pushes Ellen to rekindle their friendship, and Ellen hesitantly agrees, in part to convince herself her feelings for him are truly in the past.
Upon
further reflection, Ellen calls off the attempt
at reconnecting. It's destined for disaster and
unfair to Andy. But Leo arranges a professional
opportunity Ellen can't turn down. That leads to
them holding hands on a late-night flight.
What started as an attempt at closure becomes a bond that only leads to more questions. Is she still in love with Leo? Can she really love Andy if Leo makes her feel this way? Did she settle for Andy instead of finding the same passion she had with Leo?
Ellen is no fool. She knows she's lucky to have a devoted, loving husband. Andy is her best friend. He gives her financial security and a place in a loving family where she finally feels like she belongs. After a guilty weekend with Leo, she agrees to move with Andy back to his hometown in Atlanta.
Suburban Atlanta doesn't suit Ellen, and since she left her career in New York, she spends her time pondering "what ifs" regarding Leo. She sneaks phone calls to Leo and when caught, defiantly heads to New York to Leo rather than apologize. She loves her husband, but she also loves herself and needs to spend some time with Leo to know if she married the right man.
"Love the One You're With" rises above the usual Chick Lit formula by creating an authenticity often missing in the genre. Giffin weaves a web of sophisticated, yet flawed characters that the reader relates to - Ellen could be you, your sister or your best friend. She's not a neurotic, Bridget Jones type who measures her days - and self esteem - by her weight and the number of cigarettes smoked that day. Ellen comes from a lower middle class family in Pittsburgh, she works hard at a job she cares deeply about and despises snobby people (especially those she doesn't feel have sufficient right to be snobby).
Ellen also strives to do right by herself. Bumping into her ex causes her to question if she settled by marrying Andy. Instead of pushing those feeling aside, she meets them head on.
"I am going to follow my heart, wherever it leads. I owe it to myself. I owe it to everyone," she says.
However, she is smart enough to understand that relationships are complicated and her marriage hangs in the balance. "I wish I could freeze this moment, somehow delay my final decision, and just hang here in the balance between two worlds, two loves."
Griffin gives us equally complex supporting characters. While Andy is an upstanding husband, he has weaknesses. Some of his flaws are minor - he has an annoying habit of forgetting Ellen's colleagues' names. Others are more substantial, like his inability to deal with conflict. He chooses not to defend Ellen at a party because he does not want to cause a scene. Later he storms out of the house during an argument leaving Ellen an ultimatum about their marriage on a Post-it-note.
The author is so delicate in describing the situation that readers will have a hard time deciding what man to root for. Our head tells us she should pick Andy, the romantic, gentle husband who dotes on his wife. But Leo is hard to resist. How can you turn away someone who ties your stomach in emotional knots?
The novel feels honest as Ellen processes her emotions regarding the man she let go.
"Overcome with grief and the sense of impending, final loss, I touch his hand. Sometimes there are no happy endings," she says. "No matter what, I'll be losing something, someone."
Readers should be satisfied with Ellen's choice. The requisite happy ending doesn't feel hollow or tacked on. Giffin's genuine approach to the material carries through the final pages.
Anyone who's had a fleeting moment of doubt regarding their choice in a partner will enjoy Emily Giffin's "Love the One You're With." (St. Martin's Press, May 2008. $13.75 ISBN-10: 0312348673).
Ellen Graham's life is on track in more ways than one. She followed her passion and makes a living as a prolific photographer in New York City. She recently married Andy, a successful, confident man who's easy on the eyes and is the brother of her best girlfriend, Margot. And, best of all, Andy absolutely adores Ellen.
Ellen's storybook life is shaken one rainy day when she passes Leo, her scorching first love, on a New York City crosswalk. Leo pushes Ellen to rekindle their friendship, and Ellen hesitantly agrees, in part to convince herself her feelings for him are truly in the past.
What started as an attempt at closure becomes a bond that only leads to more questions. Is she still in love with Leo? Can she really love Andy if Leo makes her feel this way? Did she settle for Andy instead of finding the same passion she had with Leo?
Ellen is no fool. She knows she's lucky to have a devoted, loving husband. Andy is her best friend. He gives her financial security and a place in a loving family where she finally feels like she belongs. After a guilty weekend with Leo, she agrees to move with Andy back to his hometown in Atlanta.
Suburban Atlanta doesn't suit Ellen, and since she left her career in New York, she spends her time pondering "what ifs" regarding Leo. She sneaks phone calls to Leo and when caught, defiantly heads to New York to Leo rather than apologize. She loves her husband, but she also loves herself and needs to spend some time with Leo to know if she married the right man.
"Love the One You're With" rises above the usual Chick Lit formula by creating an authenticity often missing in the genre. Giffin weaves a web of sophisticated, yet flawed characters that the reader relates to - Ellen could be you, your sister or your best friend. She's not a neurotic, Bridget Jones type who measures her days - and self esteem - by her weight and the number of cigarettes smoked that day. Ellen comes from a lower middle class family in Pittsburgh, she works hard at a job she cares deeply about and despises snobby people (especially those she doesn't feel have sufficient right to be snobby).
Ellen also strives to do right by herself. Bumping into her ex causes her to question if she settled by marrying Andy. Instead of pushing those feeling aside, she meets them head on.
"I am going to follow my heart, wherever it leads. I owe it to myself. I owe it to everyone," she says.
However, she is smart enough to understand that relationships are complicated and her marriage hangs in the balance. "I wish I could freeze this moment, somehow delay my final decision, and just hang here in the balance between two worlds, two loves."
Griffin gives us equally complex supporting characters. While Andy is an upstanding husband, he has weaknesses. Some of his flaws are minor - he has an annoying habit of forgetting Ellen's colleagues' names. Others are more substantial, like his inability to deal with conflict. He chooses not to defend Ellen at a party because he does not want to cause a scene. Later he storms out of the house during an argument leaving Ellen an ultimatum about their marriage on a Post-it-note.
The author is so delicate in describing the situation that readers will have a hard time deciding what man to root for. Our head tells us she should pick Andy, the romantic, gentle husband who dotes on his wife. But Leo is hard to resist. How can you turn away someone who ties your stomach in emotional knots?
The novel feels honest as Ellen processes her emotions regarding the man she let go.
"Overcome with grief and the sense of impending, final loss, I touch his hand. Sometimes there are no happy endings," she says. "No matter what, I'll be losing something, someone."
Readers should be satisfied with Ellen's choice. The requisite happy ending doesn't feel hollow or tacked on. Giffin's genuine approach to the material carries through the final pages.