The Blue Diary

I pretty much want to read everything Alice Hoffman wrote after reading The Blue Diary.

I wrote earlier about the quotes pulled from the book and how they really resonated with me but the overall themes did as well, plus the book was hypnotizing. I just kept reading and reading and the rest of the world faded away. I love books like that.

From the back cover:

When Ethan Ford fails to show up for work on a brilliant summer morning, none of his neighbors would guess that for more than thirteen years he has been running from his past. His true nature has been locked away, as hidden as his real identity. But sometimes locks spring open, and the devastating truths of Ethan's history shatter the small-town peace of Monroe, affecting family and friends alike.
Now, the police are at the door. Ethan Ford's life as an irreproachable family man and heroic volunteer fireman has come to an end - and Jorie Ford's life is coming apart. Some of the residents of Monroe are rallying behind Ethan. But others, including his wife and son, are wondering what remains true when so much is shown to be false- and how capable we really are of change.

The idea that someone could go so long masquerading as an upstanding and honorable person while concealing such deceit is not a new one for me. I have to fight hard to trust that people are who they say they are and that even while flawed they aren't a completely different person than they are actually saying/showing they are. Because I have wondered for many years what could possibly remain true when so much is shown to be false.