Ask Again, Yes

This book was one that I just couldn’t put down. Consequences of every event trickle onto family members and friends. This story deals with friendships, forgiveness, mental health, alcoholism, tragedy, rehab and love.
The ending left me with a big question mark.

Book #48: Carol's selection and due to ongoing lockdown, the meeting was held via Zoom!

I like reading family dramas that span several decades and this is no exception. This is a beautifully written novel about neighboring families in a suburban town the bond between their children and a tragedy that affects them all over the next four decades. How much can a family forgive?

Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope are two rookie cops in NYC, who happen to also be neighbors. How well do you know your neighbors? Francis' wife, Lena, is lonely and wants friends, while Brian's wife, Anne, is erratic and volatile. This sets the stage for the explosive drama to unfold. I liked the writing style. While the characters were flawed, I liked them all. The ending felt a bit rushed to me-I wanted something different. Think of something tragic from your own childhood. Does it still seem so menacing now? Do you see it differently as an adult? Over time, our views change and what's really important comes more into focus.

I liked the story, but the writing was strange and weird to me. Took me forever to get through the book. I also didn't have a connection with any of the characters.

This book has been on my tbr for pretty some time now and I finally decided to read it.

Ask Again, yes! Is a slow paced family drama which revolves around two neighbours the Gleesons family and the Stanhope family, the strong bond of friend between their children and how the tragedy of one night changed their lives forever. The book touches upon many things like friends, love, mental health issue, the willingness to forgive and how family history can effect one’s currently life.

Initially, I was only going to give this book a 3 star rating, but ended up giving it one extra only because I was able to finish it and did not bail out. Though well written, its slow pace made it very boring at times. The characters were likeable but I thought the author should have done more justice to the character of Brian Stanhope.

The book is divided into 4 parts, the first part was quite interesting, while the remaining three just felt flat for me. However, the author was able the create some sort of mysterious build up in the 3rd and 4th part, which urges the reader to hang on in the hope that, there would be some sort of twist or big reveal, only to be disappointed at the end. There are so many questions that went unanswered, which according to me, should have been played around with, to add some sort of twist to the story like "where was Brian Stanhope that night it all happened and why did he not stop her?"

Is it only me who want the know where Brian was? Or do others also feel the same?

Would I recommend this book? Yes only if you are looking for a slow burn, without any major twist or turns

Overall, nice story with a happy ending!