Hardcover, 432 pages
Published May 31st 2016 by Blue Rider Press
National Book Award finalist Jean Thompson traces the
complicated friendship of two very different women who meet in college. In the
tradition of her bestselling novel The Year We Left Home, Thompson has crafted
a novel of remarkable psychological suspense, cast with the kinds of deeply
realized characters that have been heralded as “emotionally fluid” and “deeply
familiar.”The night that Jane and Bonnie meet on a college campus sets them on paths forever entwined. Bonnie, the wild and experimental one, always up for anything, has spent the past two decades bouncing between ill-fated relationships; while Jane, whose seemingly perfect life, perfect husband, and perfect children appear to have materialized out of a fantasy. But these appearances contradict the quiet, inescapable doubt Jane feels about her life. One night, in the middle of her own Christmas party, she steps outside into the snow, removes her clothing and shoes, and lies down in the backyard. When she is discovered, nothing is the same for anyone. As Jane begins to have visions and retreat into a private inner world, Bonnie finds herself drawn inevitably into an affair with Jane’s husband.
Thompson’s mastery of complex emotion begets a novel of desire and the nature of love—who we love, how we’re loved, and, most important, that we reach urgently and always for a higher love, regardless of our circumstances. She Poured Out Her Heart is a finely wrought, haunting story of female friendship and deception, and the distance in between.
My Thoughts…
Jane and Bonnie, friends since college, are leading
very different lives. Their lives are
still intertwined but they have gone in different directions.
I could relate to Jane’s life with the husband, kids,
and running the household. The
stress, the exhaustion, and the hum drum of the same day after day are all
things I could understand. What I
couldn’t understand is her feelings about being pregnant and raising the
kids. She struggles, she doesn’t ask
for help (maybe she didn’t know she needed it), and she pretends all is
well. This explains so much of why her
life changes. There are major
changes. I was worried about her. When her story ended I still continued to
worry about her.
Bonnie I could not relate to. She lived a wild life. She never settles down, except in her job
which was chaotic to say the least.
While sticking her nose in everyone’s business, she didn’t hold herself
accountable for her actions. I value
my friendships with my family, friends, and co-workers which is something that
she did not do. Even her best friend
is not valued. Her ending redeemed
herself somewhat in my eyes although I think she still has a lot of growing up to do.
She Poured Her Heart Out is not a book for
everyone. I started it unsure of what I
was going to read and found that I could not put it down.
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