The Middle Ground

Title: The Middle Ground

Author: Zoe Whittall

Date Finished: June 16, 2010

Personal Book Count: 29 out of 100

Rating: 4 out of 5

Genre/ Subject: fiction

First Line: When he put the gun to my neck, I closed my eyes.

Why did I pick this book?: was an ARC through librarything.com

Summary and Review: from the back of the book-

“Missy Turner thinks of herself as the most ordinary woman in the world. She has a lot to be thankful for- a great kid, a loving husband, a job she enjoys and the security of living in the small town where she was born. Then one day everything gets turned upside down. With her world rapidly falling apart, Missy finds herself questioning the certainties she’s lived with her whole life.”

I was drawn to the main character (Missy) because she seemed to be in a similar place in life as me (age, name, ect.) the start was an anything-that-can-go-wrong-will day. And who hasn’t had one of those? I kept reading because the author drops just enough hints to keep the suspense built, and to keep you reading. I wanted answers! It was a short book (which I loved. A nice break from some longer, more intense reads). It could be easily read in one sitting, or the short chapters would be good for people who are not big readers, or when you just have/need a short break. I loved it. The author managed to squeeze a lot of story into a few pages. It really had me thinking about some of Missy’s choices. Would I have done the same? At what point would I have done something different? Would I choose to help the ‘bad’ guy? It was essentially a book about choice, and who Missy would choose to be. The whole time I was thinking about it, and picking it apart as it related to me, it was totally believable. Her motivation was believable, and on the most part, what anyone would do. I never felt like I had to suspend my disbelief. I will definitely be hunting down more from this series of Rapid Reads, and will read more by this author when I find it.

Agree? Disagree? Recommendations? Any insights, suggestions, or comments on the book or format, or blog at all are most welcome. If you have read this and/ or review it yourself, please let me know. Can you think of any books like this? Give me a recommendation! =D