Forever, Interrupted: A Novel

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I always find it hard to categorise Taylor Jenkins Reid books. Whilst they’re not purely romance novels, it also doesn’t seem to do her writing justice to just call it general fiction!

Romantic love may seem like the driving force behind Forever, Interrupted, but in what ways does friendship also shape the novel? In particular, how does seeing Elsie in the role of a friend—and not just as Ben’s girlfriend and wife— add to our understanding of her? What do her interactions with Ana, as well as with Mr. Callahan, reveal about her as a character? No, we do. I just… I want Fruity Pebbles.” We have adult cereals, boxes of brown shapes fortified with fiber. Four famous siblings throw an epic party to celebrate the end of the summer. But over the course of twenty-four hours, their lives will change forever. As the daughter of a librarian Jen's love of books started from a very early age. Her reading obsession continued throughout her teenage years when she studied both English Language and English Literature at college. Elsie Porter and Ben Ross have their happily ever after. Sure their relationship is a little unconventional with their chance meeting, instant chemistry, and short dating period, but they are like a supernova. Their 6-month relationship is filled with intense passion, love, and devotion.

I loved how you split the chapters between now and then, but I wasn’t really hooked until you got to the NOW...and that’s because Elsie isn’t a character I enjoyed. I get that she’s going through pain and sorrow, but she is a BRAT! I didn’t care for her (or frankly, even Ben) until after he died and Elsie started getting close to Susan. Even with how gorgeous Ana is, I’ve never heard her express satisfaction with her own looks. When I would say I didn’t like my small boobs, she’d remind me that I have long legs and a butt she’d kill for. She’d always confess how much she hated her short eyelashes and knees, that her feet looked like “troll feet.” So maybe we’re all in the same boat. Maybe all women feel like “before” photos. Hi,” he said. It took me a second to confirm he was, in fact, speaking to me. That easily, my interest was piqued. Ana, on the other hand, knew how to have fun. She met people. She flirted with them. She had whatever that thing is that makes men fawn over women and lose their own self-respect in the process. Ana had all the power in her romances, and while I could see the point in living like that, from an outside view it never seemed very full of passion. It was calculated. I was waiting for someone that would sweep me off my feet and would be swept up by me in equal parts. I wanted someone who wouldn’t want to play games because doing so meant less time being together. I wasn’t sure if this person existed, but I was too young to give up on the idea. I don’t even realize I am running until I reach the ambulance doors. I start to pound on them. I jump up and down as I try to pound on the window that is too high above me to reach. As I do, all I hear is the sound of the Fruity Pebbles crunching beneath my feet. I grind them into the pavement each time I jump. I break them into a million pieces.

TJR wastes no time ripping out your heart. I appreciated this versus building up to it. Dual timelines always stress me out because I know they’re going to be traumatic. Knowing what happens and how it happens upfront let me enjoy the timeline of their journey more and on the flip side I was able absorb the pain of the second timeline a little easier without being blindsided. About Elsie, a young woman who elopes after a whirlwind romance and forges an unlikely relationship with her mother-in-law after her husband suddenly dies. Forever, Interrupted weaves a beautiful love story with a terrible tragedy. Told in alternating timelines, each chapter progresses sequentially from two different arcs: one of a blooming, forever love and another of overcoming a sudden, inexplicable loss. Each storyline moves effortlessly and seamlessly through the connected stages, while also emphasising the strengthening of old friendships and the forging of new ones. Whether told in past or present voice, Reid’s debut is a superb read from start to finish!'Walking into Georgie’s Pizza, I felt nothing. No part of my brain or my body knew what was about to happen. I felt no premonition. I was wearing bright yellow galoshes and what can only be described as fat jeans. The rain had matted my hair to my face and I’d given up pushing it away. Taylor Jenkins Reid has written a poignant and heartfelt exploration of love and commitment in the absence of shared time that asks, what does it take to be the love of someone's life?' If you’ve ever been hit with grief, Elsie is a very relatable character. She had her life, her future, her everything ripped from her in a matter of moments and is left not knowing how to live or move forward. The process of grief and grieving is a whole other level of trauma that’s different from, yet adjacent to loss. And this story handles it beautifully.

I’m just trying to tell you that your life will be very long with zigzags you can’t imagine. You won’t realize just how young you are until you aren’t that young anymore.” Taylor Jenkins Reid When it started raining, I knew I’d been right to stay inside. Ana called a few hours later asking what I was doing. Taylor Jenkins Reid has written a poignant and heartfelt exploration of love and commitment in the absence of shared time that asks, what does it take to be the love of someone's life?” My heart didn’t skip a beat. I had no idea he was “it”; it was “he.” He was the man I’d dreamed about as a child, wondering what my husband would look like. I was seeing this face I had wondered about my whole life and it was right here in front of me and I didn’t recognize it. All I thought was, He’ll probably get his pizza before I get mine.

Ah,” I said. “Well, it doesn’t really tell you much if I compliment you now, does it? I mean, you know that I’m complimenting you because you’ve asked . . . ” I turn and look around, but I don’t see Ben anywhere. I start to scream his name. I know he’s okay. I’m sure of it. I just need this to be over. I just want to see him with a small scrape and be told he’s fine to go home. Let’s go home, Ben. I’ve learned my lesson to never let you do such a stupid favor for me again. I’ve learned my lesson; let’s go home. It’s a Saturday night, Elsie. Get up! Go out! I’d say you should come out with me but I’m going on a date with Jim.” I really didn’t think this was going to happen. I thought bad things only happened to people with hubris. They don’t happen to people like me, people that know how fragile life is, people that respect the authority of a higher power. But it has. It has happened to me.” Taylor Jenkins Reid Instead, Ana got too drunk at the party, started making out with the guy from the gym, and disappeared for a few hours. This was fairly typical of Ana and something that I had come to love about her, namely that nothing ever went as planned. Something always happened. She was a nice reprieve from my own personality. A personality for whom everything went as planned and nothing ever happened. So when I was stranded at the party waiting for Ana to pop out of wherever she’d been hiding, I wasn’t angry or surprised. I had assumed things might take this turn. I was only slightly annoyed as I rang in the new year with a group of strangers. I stood there awkwardly, as friends kissed each other, and I just stared into my champagne glass. I didn’t let it ruin my evening. I talked to some cool people that night. I made the best of it.

Taylor Jenkins Reid delivers a seductive twist on the timeless tale of a couple trying to rediscover love in a marriage brought low by the challenges of domestic togetherness. I fell in love with Ryan and Lauren from their passionate beginning, and I couldn’t stop reading as they followed their unlikely road to redemption. Touching, perceptive, funny, and achingly honest, After I Do will keep you hooked to the end, rooting for husbands and wives and the strength of true love.” The hardest part is that neither Elsie nor Ben introduced each other to their families. So the first time Elsie meets Ben’s Mum Susan is at the hospital following the devastating news. At first, Susan doesn’t want to have anything to do with Elsie. She is angry and grieving and confused. Elsie attends Ben’s funeral knowing one other than her best friend and support network Ana. It’s a really tough time and TJR did a really good job of showing raw, real grief. It’s not pretty and it’s not sugarcoated because that’s what true grief looks like. Well, I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. I didn’t meet anyone last year worth my time. I can’t say I expect that to change this year.” It would feel good to work at the Benjamin S. Ross Foundation for Not Eating Fruity Pebbles. But I know there isn’t actually anything to rally against for him.” Taylor Jenkins Reid I know that many of you are going to read that blurb and either think that maybe this book is too sad, too emotional, too much for you. But I wanted to try and give you my thoughts and experience reading it so that maybe it'll make it a little less scary.When Elsie first arrives at Susan’s house, she realizes:“I can’t help but think that maybe because it’s okay to cry, I can’t” (p. 261). Can you find some other concrete examples of the grieving process that are illustrated in the book? Were there particular moments of Elsie’s (or Susan’s) mourning that especially resonated with you? Touching and powerful...Reid masterfully grabs hold of the heartstrings and doesn't let go. A stunning first novel." Publishers Weekly Taylor Jenkins Reid writes with ruthless honesty, displaying an innate understanding of human emotion and creating characters and relationships so real I’m finding it impossible to let them go. After I Do is a raw, unflinching exploration of the realities of marriage, the delicate nature of love, and the enduring strength of family. Simultaneously funny and sad, heartbreaking and hopeful, Reid has crafted a story of love lost and found that is as timely as it is timeless." Starred Review. Touching and powerful...Reid masterfully grabs hold of the heartstrings and doesn't let go. A stunning first novel." - Publishers Weekly