Matt Coxwell needs something that he's not getting from his
wife. After 18 years of marriage, something inside of him
wants more. He's not sure more of what -- but he knows
there's a part of him that's being stifled and he has to
find out the truth about himself. That truth seems tied up
with an old girlfriend, a woman who knew all about his
artistic side and who pursued her own art.
Leslie Coxwell is so busy that it's amazing she even
notices that her husband has left. Except there's no
coffee. And her routine is messed up. And she's left alone
to deal with their 13-year-old daughter, who may as well be
speaking a foreign language for as much luck as they have
communicating with each other. The big question, though, is
whether Matt is coming back, or if he's going to leave her
for the old girlfriend. Suddenly, her well-ordered life is
falling apart and Leslie is looking for a part of herself
that's good at dealing with chaos.
I think one of the biggest lessons we learn in life is that
you can't go back. Most of us have an old flame who lingers
in our heads, who maybe brought out a part of our
personality that two decades later we'd like to see
breathing again. Is it possible -- could it be possible -- to
go back? Matt is trying, searching so hard for that part of
himself that's lost. And his search has a huge impact on
Leslie, who may not have initiated her time of
retrospective, but nonetheless, puts it to good use. An
excellent book that makes you think about missed
opportunities and whether those opportunities might be
waiting right at home.
Mild-mannered Matt Coxwell has finally decided that his
long-abandoned dreams are worth fighting for. In fact,
it's only after he's left his marriage that he realizes he
hasn't fought this hard for anything since he fell like a
ton of bricks for his wife Leslie- and he'll have his
dreams with or without her.
But Leslie is also having a tough time. Her job's in
jeopardy, her teenage daughter has attitude to spare, and
her formidable mother-in-law has moved in unexpectedly.
Worse still, Matt has gone to stay with his free-spirited
ex-fiancée. But before she gives Matt up, she's going to
give her marriage one more chance-and maybe fall in love
one more time.