After She Wrote Him by Sulari Gentill

I applaud Sulari Gentill on an out-of-the-box novel with a gutsy writing style. I can only imagine the waves this book will cause and I look forward to watching the splash.

I had a hard time getting into this story at first. It doesn’t read like a typical novel and it was confusing at first. But once you get used to the way the story is written, it reads easy.

Madeleine d’Leon is a crime writer. She has a successful series, a wonderful following, and a crumbling marriage. She throws herself into her novel and is unaware, at first, of her husbands pulling away from her. The more she notices of his absence and distance, and then lies, the more she throws herself into her novel with her main character. Her new main character, Edward McGinnity, is as charming as he is handsome. And the more she submerses herself into her book, the more the edges of her reality blur and she clings to her brooding main character.

Edward McGinnity is a literary novelist with a dark past and few friends. He is in love with Willow Meriwether, who only views his as a best friend and brother. He despises Willows husband as much as the husband despises him. Edward begins his new novel with his exciting new crime writer main character, Madeleine d’Leon. She is smart and sensible, a classic beauty. While at an art galley opening for Willow, a murder is played out. With a crime writer main character and his reputation on the line, Edward clings to his beautiful main character, as the edges of his reality blur and he find himself a suspect.

Who is the writer? Who is the character? A novel about an author, writing about an author, writing about the author. Wow. That alone is a hell of an idea.

This book walked the tight rope between metaphysical and existential, never quite reaching either extreme. The ending was a punch that I didn’t see coming, but I must say, I am not upset about it. It found it to be the perfect ending to a book overflowing with creative genius.

Thank you to the author, Sulari Gentill, the publisher, Poisoned Pen Press, and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy of this title, in exchange for an honest review.

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