Leigh McMullan Abramson

3.5⭐

Isabelle Manning’s dream is to be a successful writer just like her father, renowned and award-winning author Ward Manning. Unfortunately, Isabelle, who is about to turn thirty-five, is yet to publish her first novel. Isabelle idolizes her father, who for the most part is self-absorbed and egotistical and unable to accept the current dip in his literary career and the waning of the fame and recognition he once enjoyed. Isabelle was raised for the most part by her loving mother Claire, who was also a supportive wife to Ward, who prioritized his literary career and ambition over his family.

Isabelle is struggling and it looks like her current manuscript is heading toward rejection. After her mother’s demise while sorting through her belongings Isabelle makes a shocking discovery- something left for her by her late mother- that triggers a sequence of events that compels Isabelle to question everything she knew about her family, and in turn her own life and motivations and how far she would go to fulfill her own ambitions.

Leigh McMullan Abramson’s A Likely Story is a well-written novel. As far as the plot goes, I can’t say that the author ventures into unexplored territory, but the strength of this novel lies in the characterizations. Ward, Isabelle, Claire and Brian – each of them is flawed and thereby realistic. Mind you, not all of them are likable. The author is unflinching in her depiction of Ward and Isabelle at their worst- their drive, motivations, their greed, selfishness and ambition. Comparatively, Brian and Claire are more likable though I did question Claire’s actions more than once. While I liked Brian and admired his loyalty to his friend Isabelle, I did deem some of his actions a tad immature, but again nobody is perfect. Shared from multiple perspectives, the narrative jumps back and forth between past and present, including segments from an unnamed manuscript. Not only does this give us a window into Claire and Ward’s marriage and allows us to know more about Claire. I do enjoy the story-within-a-story format and in this case, I believe it serves its purpose and works well in propelling the narrative forward. I wasn’t quite satisfied with the ending only because a few of the characters didn’t quite redeem themselves in my eyes despite what the author wants us to believe, but overall, there is a lot to like about this novel and I did find it to be an engaging read.

Many thanks to Leigh McMullan Abramson, Atria Books and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.… (altro)