Solomon's Puzzle by Loris NebbiaMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I read this for my book club...doubt I would read it again as it was very long and felt very tedious for me. We had mixed reviews in our club. Some liked it, some had issues with the storyline (I did - too many rabbit trails and unanswered questions!).
The story did draw you in at first. School boy (Ben) is being abused by his dad (Max) and the question of Ben's parentage is a mystery. Is Max the real dad or is it Tom, someone who knew Max and his wife around the time Ben was born? While the reader knows who the real mom is, Ben doesn't find out until the end (sorry if that is a spoiler!). My biggest beef is that if Ben had been told the truth from the beginning, instead of the adults all waiting for him to guess his true parentage, it would have alleviated a lot of the pain this kid went through...and a lot of the text of the book!
I had a hard time relating to any of the characters. Certainly not either Max or Tom nor the wives, Donna and Mrs. McBride (who came across as a more perfect image of Martha Stewart than Ms. Stewart herself - I had to remind myself that this was fiction!). Maybe to the teens - Joe the goof-ball, Ben the serious one or Bonnie Jean, near perfect herself.
One good thing about the book, if you are local, you could really picture much of the scenery as you were reading.
Might make a good beach read for someone but it was definitely not a favorite!
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