Book Club: Faithful

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Author: Alice Hoffman
ISBN: 9781925030891
RRP: $29.99

Faithful is a completely character driven novel that draws you in even though the pace is quite slow and a relatively short page count covers quite a large number of years.

Shelby Richmond was a bright young girl with the future in her hands and the world at her feet, until the night an accident left her best friend in a coma and Shelby suffering survivor guilt.

Faithful is Shelby’s story but we still get small insights into what is happening with her best friend Helene. The accident was a tragedy and one that couldn’t be avoided, it wasn’t a case of distraction or drinking, it was simply a tragic accident caused by winter road conditions. It leaves Shelby devastated and in a limbo of her own making; Helene can’t move on and go forward because of her injuries and so neither can Shelby.

Shelby was always a good student and one of the good girls, she didn’t get into any of the things that many 17 year olds do, until after the accident when the shell that used to be Shelby starts to smoke weed and the only person she can actually speak to is her dealer.

In the aftermath of the accident there is another host of traumatic experiences that Shelby suffers and has to come to terms with, it sees her distance herself from the world far enough that she doesn’t have to engage but not so far that she needs clinical help.

Eventually she seeks a fresh start in New York City, a dream she always had. She is running from the home town memories but not quite ready to stand up and reach for her future.

faithful

Shelby is such a tortured soul and it is her sense of self and self worth that has taken the biggest hit but it is that which sees her trying to save other lost souls, usually canine. Shelby finds herself collecting animals that need saving.

At a time when Shelby finds it difficult to believe in anything she starts to receive postcards from an unknown source that show her that someone sees her, this guardian angel gives her something to hang onto when she seems lost in the dark.

Almost without even noticing it herself Shelby comes back from the brink, she finds a job, she finds a passion, she finds a friend and she flexes the caring empath that has been lost inside her. Even though she’s still fighting to remain on the outside and not get attached she finds herself in a circle of souls that all depend on one another.

At times I found the story to be very slow going but at all times I was invested in Shelby and where she was heading. My heart broke for her that she suffered such guilt and the effect it had on all of her relationships. She turned so far inside of herself that she couldn’t see what was going on around her, how much she was loved and the hurt her distance was causing.

Faithful is a beautiful story of the hard fought path to the future for someone who was once so lost. This was a story that will stay with you.

Faithful is available in November from Simon & Schuster, Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster 20 of our Beauty and Lace Club members will be reading Faithful so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below. I will be interested to see what our readers think.

20 thoughts on “Book Club: Faithful

  1. Faithful by Alice Hoffman is a story filled with sadness and overwhelming grief, which begins to lighten as the story progresses.

    17 year old Shelby is the driver of a car which in involved in a major accident, leaving her passenger, best friend Helene, in a coma. The reader can feel the guilt that Shelby experiences almost as a leaden weight in the book. She is just a kid, and what a terrible burden to suffer from. Shelby’s Mum tries desperately to get through the shell that builds around her daughter, but it seems Shelby has tried to turn off all her feelings by shedding her former Good Girl self, and sliding into a path of drugs, depression and despair.

    The reader follows Shelby as she battles with her heartbreak in this powerful story about finding oneself after a horrible event. It is a very realistic telling of a life turn inside out – not just Shelby’s, but also her family, Helene and her family, and their school friends and the whole small town community.

    A gut wrenching, tearful start to a slow recovery for Shelby.

    This book crushed my heart and made me weep. I read it in one sitting – I could not stop until I knew that Shelby would be ok. For in one split second of being in control of a car, any one of us could be in Shelby’s situation. Too real to go to sleep after turning the last page.

  2. Thank you for selecting me to read Faithful by Alice Hoffman
    The main character Shelby Richmond has had a major tragedy in her life which she caused
    Her best friend is left in a coma while Shelby walks away from the accident revelerty unharmed
    I fell in love with Shelby a young 17 year old shouldering so much guilt
    Shelby does go off the rails doing drugs and has such a dark attitude towards life
    Into the book you will see Shelby turn her life around and become a beautiful caring young woman ( she always was)
    She still has her dark days and sad moments but as she makes her way through life there are lots of happy times for Shelby
    What happened to Shelby in regards to the accident could happen to anyone of us or someone we know
    Readers will cry reading this book ( I did ) but I was so happy that it all turned out well for Shelby

  3. A truly memorable book, detailing how one person moves from a normal life to one that changes dramatically due to an accident. The term survivor guilt is threaded through this novel and how one girl who seemed to have it all…. Loses herself and worth trying to deal with this absolute tragedy. A book that is raw and deals head on with the hard topics of depression drugs and recovery. I read this book with the intention of understanding something a friend is dealing with and I feel that it gives me some insight into how things disintegrate to a point that your usual path is seemingly initially lost … The hard road to recovery is not lightly taken or travelled.

    A must read that offers an insight into a hard to imagine life…with a positive message that life is not always over no matter what has happened.

    Thank you for the opportunity to read this book….. It will remain in my mind for a long time to come…..

  4. Omg what a book !! To say I enjoyed this immensely would be an understatement. As soon as I started reading this I couldn’t put it down , I needed to know how Shelby would get through all the guilt that she had and how she could get on with her own life . Yes I cried in parts ( so not like me ) . Would I recommend ? Yes for sure AAA+ . I’m going to now pass this on to my mum to read … while I search for more books by this author to read .

  5. Thank you for giving me the chance this novel!

    It is definitely worth the read and a very emotional and thought provoking read
    I could not put it down. The mood lightens as the story continues and is very well written. I would recommend this book and as a first time reader of Alice I would definitely read any future work she would happen to you publish. Thumbs up, definitely!

  6. Faithful is the first book I have read by Alice Hoffman and it was an enjoyable read though perhaps a little different to I was expecting.

    The story only follows Shelby, but is written almost from a third person perspective with the addition of personal memories which makes it an interesting style which seemed a little different to other books I have read. There are only 15 chapters so they are quite lengthy but they are broken up into sections so there are smaller readable chunks.

    The start of the book is rather depressing as we learn about Shelby’s life since the tragic accident that took away the future of her best friend and it really doesn’t feel like the mood is ever going to improve. Shelby struggles with mental illness as she blames herself and she wants to punish herself for the accident. Shelby is strong though and slowly but surely starts to improve, and the mood of the story lifts gradually. We watch Shelby’s life take shape over many years through mostly ordinary day to day life type material, and we also learn more with snippets from her past. The ending is quite satisfying as it gives the sense that Shelby has finally found peace with herself and is looking forward instead of only back.

    While there are a few prominent people in Shelby’s life that we meet and get to know, Shelby also has a ‘guardian angel’ who is watching over her since the accident. This person helps her learn about herself, and she was able to build a relationship with them towards the end. The guardian angel is an important takeaway message from this book, demonstrating how you can do something seemly small for another person yet to them it can really mean the world, and it can determine whether they make or break. This is a powerful message that this book has reinforced in my mind.

  7. “Faithful” is not your average book. It’s a journey of one girl’s battle with her own demons.

    Shelby is a complex character. You can’t help but love her self-hatred and vulnerability. After a serious car accident at age 17 in which her best friend Helene was left permanently comatose,

    Shelby enters a downward spiral of depression, anxiety and never ending guilt. She spends years in her parent’s basement, not wanting to participate in the world of the living and waiting for postcards from her ‘angel’, someone who sends her messages of hope in her dark days.

    After forming a bond with her school mate-come drug dealer Ben Mink, she ends up moving to New York city with him and despite herself, finds a good job at a pet shop, befriends a sassy single mother Maravelle and adopts an array of wayward dogs.

    Shelby has many ups and downs and is self sabotaging at times, but deep down she is a loveable, deeply feeling individual you can connect with. I kept wanting her to succeed, to get the guy, land the job, be the best friend. That’s why I couldn’t put ‘Faithful’ down. I just wanted to see if Shelby got her happy ever after….of course I can’t tell you that, you’ll have to read it for yourself.

  8. What a wonderful story! To be quite honest I was worried early on that this was going to be a sad, dark tale all the way to the end but thankfully it was not.
    Shelby had an accident with a friend years earlier and while they both survived, Helene suffered horrific injuries and would never recover, and Shelby was to live with the guilt of being ok. Her world spiralled into a dark place and that was where she wanted to be.
    Over time things slowly get better for Shelby and in part that was due to a guardian angel and his secret messages.
    She is able to move on with her life and begin to believe a little in herself again thanks to her friends, her mother and James.
    It was lovely to read Shelby’s tale and be immersed in her world.
    Thank you for the chance to read this, definitely enjoyed the book and would highly recommend it

  9. Faithful is a story that will take you on an emotional rollercoaster as you follow Shelby’s journey to get over her survivors guilt and move on with her life. It really is a story that is hard hitting and stirs up emotions and thoughts about how you would deal in a similar situation. I really enjoyed reading this novel as it is easy to read but has an interesting story. I look forward to reading more books by Alice Hoffman and thanks for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

  10. What an unforgettable story. From the first page I was hooked and the character development was amazing.

    This book however is not one to take lightly. The bond formed with the main character ensures that you travel with her through her struggles and frustrations. How could she have survived whilst her best friend lies comatosed, how do you enjoy life when guilt is a constant companion. This roller coaster of emotions saw me cringing, crying, groaning with frustration only to find that sliver of light in the form of a guardian angel who brings Shelby back.

    This well written book puts you squarely in Shelby’s position forcing you to ask yourself, what would I do if this was me? A great book but be prepared to ask yourself the tough questions!

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