Ask Again, Yes - A Book Review

A weekend binge read (I do that often)! I loved this novel. I felt so connected with all of the characters, except one (read it and you will see, which one I mean -- which character left and never returned). Set in the 1970s through 2017, the novel chronicles the lives of two police officers' families in a small town outside of Manhattan (two cops with beats in the city); their suburbia was supposed to be safe for their young families just starting out, but this proved tragically false as a result of unfortunate, then drastic consequences that played out one fateful night. It's a story about childhood friendship turned love. A fateful first kiss on a backyard playset. A story about true love and forgiveness, the ups and downs of marriage and what it means to be a loyal husband and wife, a good father and mother, the dire circumstances that arise when you're not. Of mental illness and addiction. You'll love the story of the Gleeson's and the Stanhope's trials and tribulations, of a culture or heritage (family genes) that either blessed or cursed them. Beautifully written with much compassion and empathy.