To Love A Stranger by Adrianne Byrd

When I was in college, I was assigned The Return of Martin Guerre by Natalie Zemon Davis. The book describes the historical record of the Martin Guerre case, but it also asks the question: in an age when portraits were limited to the wealthy, how closely could you remember how someone looked? If a husband was gone for 10 years or more, how would you know it was him, when he came home? People today say, "of course I would know" but we live at a time with photography everywhere. My Mom died 15 years ago, and when I remember her, am I remembering what she really looked like, or the photos I've looked at since then?

I always thought that would be an intriguing premise for a romance, although it takes a lot of handwaving to make it work in a contemporary setting.

To Love A Stranger by Adrianne Byrd
(2007, Contemporary) 8/1/08
Grade: 3.5

Six years after her music mogul husband was lost at sea, Madeline Stone is happier without him. She is using her inheritance to fund her fashion career, and she doesn’t have to deal with his infidelities and disrespect. But when Russell seems to have returned, she’s not sure what to think - how can this kind and loving man be the same person?

I’ve always thought this plotline would be a great premise for a romance novel (with a happier ending, of course!) But although I’ve read a couple of books with this idea, none of them have really worked well, and unfortunately, although this one is the best of the lot, it doesn’t really stand out either. The book was smoothly written, but it felt superficial, without a lot of emotional involvement with the characters. Although there was some attempt to explore Madeline’s mixed feelings about Russell’s return, and Russell’s emotions when connecting with his children, they just didn’t move me. Maybe it was because so much of the book was taken up with the details of the plot (is he or isn’t he) and descriptions of the characters’ wealth, or perhaps it was just because the book wasn’t long enough, but it just didn’t work for me. I just didn't feel emotionally involved with the characters. It wasn’t bad, just predictable and a bit dull.

This is one of those books that's hard to grade. I can't point to anything in particular that was "wrong" with it, but it just left me unmoved. I can enjoy a book with a familiar plotline, but the author has to do something to make the characters stand out, and I just didn't find that here.