Claire Canton and her husband Chris are currently
experiencing some tough times in their marriage. Chris, a
hard working go-getter, had been downsized from his job due
to the bad economy. This led to depression and a lack of
intimacy with Claire. He shut himself off from her and
their two children, while existing in a continual state of
denial and disbelief. After a year of unemployment and
running through most of their money and benefits, Chris has
finally landed a job; but it is a job that will have him
travelling a great deal of the time, and a stretched
marriage deteriorates a little further. The love is still
there, but the lack of closeness and loss of communication
is taking its toll on them; and Claire is lonely with Chris
working out of town so often.
When Claire is pulled over in a routine traffic stop by
police officer Daniel Rush, she doesn't think much of it.
They make small talk, and she promises to get the mechanical
issue fixed. She has been discussing with her neighbors the
issue of cars speeding through their residential
neighborhood, and when she spies Daniel at a Fourth of July
event, she broaches the subject with him. After he helps
get the speed limit sign for her neighborhood, conversation
leads to his discovery that she is a graphic designer who
works on commission. He knows of a small job for the police
department, and one thing leads to another. As she is
working on the graphics job, they become friendly.
The friendship blossoms, and Claire feels alive again. She
finally has someone to have meals with, to discuss issues
that she can no longer broach with her husband, and someone
who is attentive to her needs. For Daniel's part, he is
lonely after his divorce from a woman who looks incredibly
similar to Claire. His marriage had imploded after a
devastating tragedy tore it apart. As Claire and Daniel's
relationship progresses, this affair of the senses becomes
highly improper, and comes dangerously close to the point
where it can possibly destroy Claire's marriage. All the
while, her husband Chris spends lonely nights on the road,
overworked and missing his family desperately; oblivious to
the amount of time his wife is spending in a friendship with
another man.
COVET is the second book by author Tracey Garvis-Graves,
after her widely acclaimed debut novel 'On The Island'.
This book is quite different in tone, and pushes the
envelope in another direction; that of a marriage in danger
of crumbling due to a highly improper extra-marital
relationship. The story is told in first person, and the
point of view switches between Claire, Chris, and Daniel;
with Claire holding the largest portion of story time. This
is an insightful, intriguing look into a marriage that has
gone into a holding pattern, and the devastating effects of
a wife bringing a male friend into the mix.
Tracey Garvis Graves, the New York Times
bestselling author of On the Island, returns.
What if the life you wanted, and the woman you
fell in love with, belonged to someone else?
Chris and Claire Canton's marriage is on life support.
Downsized during the recession and out of work for a year,
Chris copes by retreating to a dark place where no one can
reach him, not even Claire. When he's offered a position
that will keep him away from home four nights a week, he
dismisses Claire's concern that time apart could be the one
thing their fragile union can't weather. Their suburban life
may look idyllic on the outside, but Claire has never felt
so disconnected from Chris, or so lonely.
Local
police officer Daniel Rush used to have it all, but now he
goes home to an empty house every night. He pulls Claire
over during a routine traffic stop, and they run into each
other again at the 4th of July parade. When Claire is hired
to do some graphic design work for the police department,
her friendship with Daniel grows, and soon they're spending
hours together.
Claire loves the way Daniel makes
her feel, and the way his face lights up when she walks into
the room. Daniel knows that Claire's marital status means
their relationship will never be anything other than
platonic. But it doesn't take long before Claire and Daniel
are in way over their heads, and skating close to the line
that Claire has sworn she'll never cross.
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