BOUND BY DESTINY

In Pearson’s novel, a woman reconnects with herself and her capacity for love upon meeting someone new in the aftermath of her husband’s suicide.

After her aspiring politician husband Peter Garvey unexpectedly dies by suicide one night, Raine’s life is sent into a tailspin, beginning with her appointment as the CEO of Peter’s company, which results in the betrayal of old friends and the discovery that Peter was hiding more secrets than she knows how to handle. Determined to get as far from their home in New York City as possible, Raine moves to Durham, New Hampshire, for a fresh start. While settling into the small college town, she meets Ron Mitchell, a young academic who shares the same gift as Raine’s estranged mother, a mystical ability known in Scottish folklore as An Dà Shealladh: the ability to see the future in dreams (“he got the gift of Two Sights, which was maddening because if something were destined to happen, there would be nothing he could do to change its course”). Ron is in his last semester of school before becoming a full professor and is immediately drawn to Raine, but he can barely muster up the courage to ask to drive her home. Raine feels a connection too, but she is still haunted by grief and betrayal, unable to let anyone get close. Can she ever truly move on from her heartbreaking past? Are she and Ron destined to be, or will outside forces keep them apart? Told from multiple perspectives (some more engaging than others), this is a love story that takes its time—many pages are devoted to setting up who Raine is outside of her relationships and how her past has shaped her into the person she is at the beginning of the book. While this approach adds great depth to her character, the constant switching between past and present grows tiring after a while. Many supporting characters have whole chapters dedicated to them, which also bogs down the pacing. However, Ron and Raine’s budding romance feels genuine and works well as the heart of this novel.

An intriguing tale of second chances and new love, with a fantastical twist.