Review: Perfectly Broken by Robert Burke Warren

Title: Perfectly Broken by Robert Burke Warren
Publisher: Story Plant
Genre: Contemporary, Literary, Fiction
Length: 270 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary:

A novel of sex, dads, and rock & roll.

His rock star days may be behind him, but stay-at-home dad Grant Kelly’s life is getting more interesting by the day. It’s the beginning of the post 9/11 era, and he and his wife and four-year-old son have traded a New York City apartment for a Catskills farmhouse, where ghosts from the past, worries for the future, and temptations in the present converge to bring about drastic changes in their marriage, their friendships, and their family.

A gorgeously nuanced novel with unforgettable characters, PERFECTLY BROKEN is a story of human frailty, the endurance of the heart, and the power and possibility of forgiveness.

Review:

Perfectly Broken by Robert Burke Warren is a riveting novel of family, friendship, loss and ultimately, healing.

Years after quitting his band over creative differences, Grant’s life has not exactly turned out as he expected. He’s a mildly depressed (and slightly neurotic) stay at home dad whose friendship with fellow rocker Paul Fairchild reminds him of everything he never achieved. Forced to rely on the goodwill of longtime friends Trip and Christa Lamont after wife Beth loses her job, the couple, along with four year old son Evan, relocate from New York City to the Catskills. Soon after their move, the cracks in their marriage rise to the surface and after a terrible tragedy, Grant makes a impetuous decision that might destroy his family.

Dating back to childhood, Grant has a history of avoiding his problems instead of facing them. Suffering PTSD after a traumatic event, he has relied on anti-depressants to cope with the world but tapering off the medication after losing their health insurance, everything he has repressed begins resurface. After a shocking discovery, Grant continues to bottle up his emotions until they spill over into an act of betrayal that can never be undone. Everything comes to a head during a raging storm when a tension filled evening with friends leads to drunken revelations and a tragic decision that ends in heartache.

Gritty, raw and filled with deep emotions, Perfectly Broken is a realistic portrayal of life after marriage and the disappointment of unfulfilled dreams. The storyline is engaging and full of unexpected twists and turns. The characters are vibrantly developed, wonderfully flawed and surprisingly likable. Robert Burke Warren brings the novel to a brilliant conclusion that is heartwarming and immensely gratifying. An engrossing debut that readers will remember long after the last page is turned.