Broken For You by Stephanie Kallos – 400 pages
Book Blurb:
Stephanie Kallos’s debut novel is a work of infinite charm, wit and heart. It is also a glorious homage to the beauty of broken things. When we meet septuagenarian Margaret Hughes, she is living alone in a mansion in Seattle with only a massive collection of valuable antiques for company. Enter Wanda Schultz, a young woman with a broken heart who has come west to search for her wayward boyfriend. Both women are guarding dark secrets and have spent many years building up protective armor against the outside world. As their tentative friendship evolves, the armor begins to fall away and Margaret opens her house to the younger woman. This launches a series of unanticipated events, leading Margaret to discover a way to redeem her cursed past, and Wanda to learn the true purpose of her cross-country journey.
My Review: 4 stars
Broken For You was a Today show pick that I had coincidently just purchased. That led me to pick it up right away and I highly enjoyed this book.
Broken (no pun intended) characters, unwittingly searching to become whole again meet under unique circumstances. This book reaches into the depths of their despair but oddly; it’s not a sad book. Somehow, Kallos captures their stories and secrets and weaves a likable, touching and sometimes even funny story.
Personally, I have a hard time not attaching feelings and memories to meaningful objects, so this story touched me in a unique way. I highly recommend this book and definitely see it being a popular book club choice.
Quotes I liked:
Sometimes a person can say I’m sorry a thousand times and that glue will never dry.”
-“Less is less. Heartbreak is heartbreak. You think I’m sitting here gloating. Telling myself that my suffering beats yours? Hurt is hurt. You don’t measure these things.”
-“The Book also claimed that all of us lie to ourselves all the time, so why not tell positive lies—known as affirmations—instead of negative ones?”