I received a free copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.
Secrets and lies intermingle with grief in the wake of a man’s murder in author John Burt’s “A Moment’s Surrender.”
The Synopsis
A Moment’s Surrender follows freshman writing instructor Paul Bishop in the aftermath of the murder of his former best friend, the renowned poet Tom Corbin. Haunted by guilt and bound by a devastating secret, Paul takes it upon himself to care for Tom’s terminally ill widow, Susan. But the truth he withholds — that Tom had planned to leave Susan for another woman, Paul’s own long-ago lover Rachel Lake — draws Paul into a painful triangle of loyalty, betrayal, and unresolved desire. Caught between the two women, Paul must navigate a web of grief and deception that threatens to undo them all.
THE REVIEW
This was such a complex yet rewarding and engaging literary novel. The elements of genre fiction, mystery, and literary fiction made this story so unique. The tension and depth of detail the author pours into each scene allow the reader to feel fully immersed in the narrative and the lives of these characters as the story develops.
What made the story so unique was the way the author used the inciting incident as a foundation for the rest of the story. Rather than focus solely on the murder of this poet and the investigation around it, the author focuses on the complex and emotional web connecting the people in the victim’s life afterward. The story showcases how each of these characters wrestles with guilt, sorrow, and deep-seated passion and desire simultaneously, and how secrets can have an impact on those we love the most.
THE VERDICT
A well-written, emotionally investing, and highly compelling novel, author John Burt’s “A Moment’s Surrender” is a must-read genre fiction novel. The twists and turns come not in the mystery of this crime, but in the wellspring of secrets and lies that have peppered the lives of those surrounding the victim of the story, and the emotional engagement readers have with these characters and their relatable struggles hone in on the human struggle, and how complicated grief can be in the aftermath of loss. If you haven’t yet, please be sure to grab your copy today!
Rating: 10/10
About the Author
John Burt is the Paul Prosswimmer Professor of American Literature at Brandeis University and the author of the novel A MOMENT’S SURRENDER (Hollywood Books International, forthcoming), three volumes of poetry: THE WAY DOWN (Princeton University Press, 1988), WORK WITHOUT HOPE (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1996), and VICTORY (Turning Point Press, 2007). His non-fiction book LINCOLN’S TRAGIC PRAGMATISM (Harvard University Press, 2013) was positively reviewed on the front page of the NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW. He is the literary executor of the poet and novelist Robert Penn Warren, whose collected poems he edited.
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