Review & Giveaway The Ocean Between Us by Susan Wiggs

The Ocean Between Us by Susan Wiggs is a Truly spectacular story that revolves around married couple Steve and Grace Bennett who’s lives are about to change dramatically. Steve and Grace have been married for over twenty years, they have three children together and life just seems to have just gotten complacent with both of them. Grace at home raising and taking care of the children while Steve travels around the world with the Navy, their marriage has taken a serious back seat. Enough is enough for Grace and she feels like she has lost herself in this marriage, there is no passion and frankly Steve isn’t even around, so how are they going to make this work. Trying to get her twin teens into college and fighting with their own identities, moving to a new house, a dog and a the career that Grace has always wanted. Well, she wanted a career, or a job at least, and now she has started her own business which at times has been overwhelming, but it has given her a new spark. A fresh outlook on life.

Steve, out on yet another deployment learns that he has a son. A son he never knew from a marriage when he was just a kid himself. The shock to both of them and their family is devastating. Steve lied to Grace about a marriage, although it only lasted 5 weeks total, still he was married. Steve is really taken back by Grace’s reaction, after all this is news to him too. But he seems a little out of touch to me. His kids were mostly raised by their mother and there seems a sense of loss and sadness in his relationship with his children, especially Emily. Something is going on with her, changing her look, her wardrobe and now she has withdrawn somewhat from her parents and school.

Tragedy happens aboard Steve’s carrier and all of their lives are affected. Feared dead, Steve and Grace each go through some self evaluations about themselves and their marriage. Can she forgive Steve for lying to her all these years? Can Steve accept that his wife needs him more than ever in her life and the lives of the children who happen to be growing up way too fast?

Throughout the book each small chapter skips around to a different scene, it can be a little confusing at times until about mid way through the book where it picks up a little more steam. But all in all I found this story to be charming and realistic in so many ways. Grace’s transformation is natural, she’s turning 40, she has twins about to enter college and she is starting to live her life the way that she has always wanted to. Not to mention her business is about to take off. And then Steve, whose life altering experience makes him realize just how important Grace’s love and being a full time dad to his children really is. The story is well laid out and developed at a pace that kept me clicking through the pages

Steve Bennett is a perfect navy officer with a perfect navy family, and he's confident that his world is just the way it should be. But his son wants to be an artist instead of attending the U.S. Naval Academy, and his stalwart and capable wife of 20 years, Grace, is tired of being the perfect navy wife. She wants her own home, and she wants her own career. She's feeling altogether unsettled, but nothing is more unsettling than the secret her husband has hidden from her their entire marriage. Nothing, that is, until the accident on the carrier

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

With sensitivity and insight, #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Susan Wiggs explores the emotional rewards and sacrifices of love and marriage in this sweeping page-turner.

When Susan Wiggs’s recent novel Fireside debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list, the author responded by jumping into her swimming pool fully clothed, despite the freezing temperatures of February. Why? “Because I never wanted to forget that moment,” she said. “It’s such a singular sensation. And so often for a writer, the good news comes during the odd time of day, when no one is around but the dog and the seagulls on the beach.”

How did a math teacher become a bestselling writer? Susan says the real question is how did a writer turn to teaching math? “I was born to write. I always knew it. When I was in college, I took a career aptitude test that said I should be (a) a writer, (b) a teacher or (c) a speech pathologist. So I decided to go for two out of three. I chose teaching—and the subject of math specifically—because it was something I knew I’d love and be good at. Also, a math teacher can make a living. This is not always the case for a writer, not right out of the gate.”

When she’s not writing, Susan can likely be found hiking with her dog, Barkis, listening to music, seeing the world, reading books and doing what she calls “extreme crafts”—Fair Isle knitting, impossible faux-finish paint projects, furniture refinishing and upholstery.

Susan lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and family. Her lively Web site can be found at http://www.susanwiggs.com/.

***GIVEAWAY***

One (1) Grand Prize winner from your site receives:

• 
  
  Get a little renewal in your life with a $25 VISA gift card
• 
  
  Copy of The Ocean Between Us

Two (2) additional winners will receive a copy of the book!

Winners will be chosen 05/03

(US only)

Readers' Group Questions for The Ocean Between Us by Susan Wiggs

Have you ever parted on bad terms with a loved one? Did you feel regrets about it or was it justified? Should Grace and Steve tried to put their differences aside when he shipped out?

How much input should a parent get when it comes to advising kids what to do after high school? Did Brian and Emma make good choices? What were other choices they might have explored? Does Steve’s job make it easier or harder for the kids to plan their futures?

How did you feel about Steve’s decision to hide the past from his present family? When is it all right to keep something in the past a secret from your loved ones?

What’s missing from Lauren Stanton’s life? How do you think she and Josh will fare in the future? Is happiness possible for this couple?

How does the life of a Navy wife differ from the life of a civilian woman? Does it seem exciting to you, or would it be a nightmare? Would you like or dislike moving every three years? What are the advantages and disadvantages of doing this?

What did you think about Emma’s ordeal? Was her decision to keep silent understandable? Did you agree or disagree with her parents’ reaction when they found out the truth?

Steve’s decision in the end was a bombshell. How do you think this will play out for the family? Have you ever made a life-changing decision without being sure of the outcome? How did it work out for you?

This quote is featured on the author’s web site: "One advantage of marriage, it seems to me, is that when you fall out of love with him, or he falls out of love with you, it keeps you together until you maybe fall in again."
—Judith Viorst, "What Is This Thing Called Love?" (Redbook, Feb. '75). What’s your opinion of that? How does it apply to the characters in The Ocean Between Us? Is this a factor in you own life?