Book Review: Clean Break by David Klein

My latest summer read, Clean Break by David Klein, takes place in cold, wintry New York. When Celeste finds out her husband has a gambling problem, and the violent tendencies that he's kept hidden from her throughout their entire relationship suddenly burst to the surface, she knows their marriage cannot be saved. Then a stranger, Jake, witnesses an incident between Celeste and her estranged husband, Adam, and he ends up becoming entangled in their lives far more than he bargained for.

Jake is involved in a complicated, failing relationship himself, and that relationship ends up playing a role in his involvement with Celeste and Adam. All of these characters make questionable judgement calls, make decisions that could be considered unethical, and are forever changed by the end of the book.

What struck me most about Clean Break is that it portrays, in a realistic way, how just about anyone could find themselves in the right situation to make choices that they normally wouldn't think themselves capable of. If push came to shove, would you be able to do the "right" thing, even in the most desperate situations? And is the "wrong" thing sometimes actually the "right" thing after all? Life is complicated, and the big decisions are often tempered by a million shades of murky grey. It's easy to judge how others live their lives, but no one can ever know the internal, personal battles people are fighting when they make what could seem like horribly wrong decisions. Would you...pull the trigger? Call the police? Hide the evidence? Tell the truth? Stray from your marriage? Hurt someone you love? It's easy to give the "correct" answer when you're not standing in the midst of disaster and conflict, torn in many directions.

At 373 pages, Clean Break is a pretty quick read with a compelling story line and a thought provoking story.  There are also some good discussion questions at the end, which I really appreciate now that I've been involved in a book club!

To learn more about David Klein:

Visit his website: http://www.bydavidklein.comLike him on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/pages/David-Klein-Author/165778386237Follow him on Twitter:https://twitter.com/#!/byDavidKlein 

I received a complimentary copy of Clean Break. All opinions are my own.