Lead Review (The Measure of Life)
- Book: The Measure of Life
- Location: Rome, Vashon Island
- Author: Judith Works
Nicole is married to Martin and they have a couple of children, one from his first marriage. They have relocated to Rome for his work and it has become all too clear that their relationship is unhappy, she feels like a ‘subservient housekeeper’, he is out all hours tending to business, and is a stereotypical ingrate when at home. She swings between struggling with her lack of confidence and compliantly seething with her lot in life.
The novel opens as she is in conversation with her Italian tutor, Alessandro, and soon their relationship is more than one of simple words and rote learning. Her affair has consequences and the family’s remaining time in the Italian capital is redolent with bitterness, although she creates a cookery blog “When Pasta Met Tomato” to try and establish her raison d’être.
A traumatic event turns her world upside down. She returns to Seattle and settles into a house on Vashon Island, where she has to create a new life for herself. The children have long since flown the nest and so she is on her own, pushing herself to be social.
The story is almost written in the style of a memoir, spanning a couple of decades, as Nicole comes to term with her emotionally disabling marriage and tries to discover her true self. There are secrets to be revealed that further upset the balance in family dynamics, and revelations about her husband leave her reeling.
A nicely, briskly told story with a flawed central character, who has to face innumerable challenges over the years – all set against a couple of interesting backdrops (Rome and Vashon Island) with culinary interludes.
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