The Dilemma

March 30, 2020
Destructive secrets abound in this maddeningly melodramatic psychological thriller from bestseller Paris (Bring Me Back). Adam Harman is busy preparing for his wife Livia’s 40th birthday party, an event for a hundred guests under a marquee tent in their backyard in Windsor, England. Adam is expecting their 19-year-old daughter, Marnie, who’s studying in Hong Kong, to make a surprise appearance at the party. But as he and 22-year-old son Josh set up chairs and choose a playlist, Adam learns that Marnie may have died in a plane crash in Cairo. His quandary is whether he should tell Livia and ruin her evening’s happiness. Livia, on the other hand, has discovered a highly personal fact that Marnie has withheld from both parents. Does she tell Adam and affect his relationship with Marnie? The novel bounces back and forth between guilt-ridden lies and deceitful behavior, such as Livia’s betrayal of Adam. By the end, the reader is likely to feel frustrated by a psychological thriller that withholds information for far too long. Debilitating circumstances aren’t enough to excuse egregious behavior of reprehensible characters. 150,000-copy announced first printing. Agent: Camilla Bolton, Darley Anderson Agency (U.K.).

April 15, 2020
A woman plans--and experiences--the long-awaited 40th birthday party of her dreams. But to ensure the party is a success, both she and her husband have decided to keep unexpected news from each other that will derail their lives. Neither Livia nor her husband, Adam, are perfect. Over the decades of their marriage they have both hurt each other, but despite this, they still love each other. Married quickly in a registry office as teens because of Livia's unexpected pregnancy, their planned futures derailed 23 years ago as parenthood and manual labor replaced their individuality and chances to go to university. Because her dreamed-for over-the-top wedding didn't take place, Livia began saving money to have the perfect 40th birthday party as a substitute. But 20 years into the planning and six weeks before the party she finds out something she fears will end the comfortable life she and Adam have established with their two grown children, Josh and Marnie. So she decides to keep it a secret until the party is over. And the day of the party, Adam finds out something devastating that could not only destroy their lives if it is true, but could also needlessly ruin the party Livia has been planning for so long if it isn't. So he decides to keep quiet until after the party. This is a novel told almost entirely in hourlong chunks during the course of that day, alternating between Livia's and Adam's points of view. Author Paris grapples with the question of whether it's love or selfishness that keeps half of a couple from sharing bad news immediately with the other half and whether or not it's deceptive to do so. While the complicated, interlocking nature of Livia and Adam's social circle might present an overwhelming amount of detail to absorb at the start of the book, clarity comes quickly and is crucial to understanding the story. An all-encompassing, tightly plotted novel of psychological suspense.

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May 8, 2020

Paris's fourth novel takes place over 24 hours in the life of Livia and Adam, a long-married couple with two grown children. Livia's 40th birthday party (planned and paid for by her) is a substitute for the dream wedding she missed out on owing to an unexpected teen pregnancy. Paris gives us a snapshot of Adam and Livia's seemingly perfect life, with alternating chapters narrated by each spouse. The big dilemma is that they both have a secret they aren't telling the other. The story's unfolding is excruciatingly slow. Unfortunately, Livia and Adam are rather shallow characters without much backstory, and they come across as immature adults who are playing house. The two grown children are flat, especially daughter Marnie. The secondary characters seem to meld into one another, and it's hard to keep track of who is who. VERDICT Paris's latest is not her usual thriller fare. Fans excited to read the next edge-of-your-seat suspense, such as Paris's The Breakdown will be disappointed with this sad family drama that combines frivolity and tragedy. [See Prepub Alert, 12/9/19.]--Marianne Fitzgerald, Severna Park H.S., MD

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Starred review from May 1, 2020
For more than 20 years, Livia Harman anticipated having a lavish fortieth birthday party to make up for the wedding she never had. Pregnant at 17, she and Adam had married at the local registry office with only his parents and a few close friends in attendance, since her parents refused to have anything more to do with her. Although their plans for education changed, Livia and Adam have been happy with their children, Josh, 22, and Marnie, 19. Josh will be at Livia's party, but Marnie, studying in Hong Kong, will not. Except that Adam, as a surprise for his wife, has arranged for Marnie to come, too, assuming she can make a tight plane connection in Cairo. Then, on the morning of the party, Adam sees news that the plane on which Marnie was booked has crashed with no survivors. Stunned, Adam first tries unsuccessfully to reach his daughter, hoping that she missed her connection, and then struggles with when to tell Livia what's happened. Livia, meanwhile, has information of her own about Marnie that she dreads to share with Adam. Paris constructs an unusual and compelling premise and masterfully maintains suspense about what happened and when it will be revealed. A breathtaking story, nearly impossible to put down.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)