Review of "Crush" by Robyn Bradley

Summary:
Living a quiet life as a single mother, Louise Gunther is proud to have successfully raised her only child, Teddy, to adulthood. But all that changes one summer afternoon when Teddy dies in a freak accident on a Cape Cod beach. Moved beyond ordinary grief, Louise becomes obsessed with the manner in which Teddy died, determined to recreate his final moments, even if it means dying herself.


Review:
This is a difficult story to review subjectively.  Robyn Bradley's strength as a writer seems to come from her ability to explore deep, soul-searching emotions.  Suffice to say that she definitely gets the job done.

 Bradley has quite a knack for being able to grab your heartstrings and pull them right out.  I was actually kind of shocked about how quickly I was pulled into the pain and suffering of the main character without feeling like the story was "over the top."  It takes skill in order to achieve this effect on the reader without slipping into the Chicken Soup for the Soul arena.

Crush is definitely a somber read.  It's enjoyable in that it's a well-written story.  But it's not a light, fun piece to just pass a few minutes with.  You chew on the subject material for quite some time after finishing it.

4/5 stars
Reviewed by Alain Gomez

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