I usually veer to the chick lit/woman’s fiction genre, but every once in awhile I will take a chance and step outside the box. A few months back, I was asked to read The Journey Home by Michael Baron. I read it, and fell in love. When I was recently asked to read Baron’s latest novel, Spinning, I knew I had to accept. And again, I am glad I did.
The story follows Dylan Hunter, a playboy public relations executive that specializes in “spinning” or bending the truth to suit his or his client’s needs. But Dylan is thrown when a former lover, Diane, shows up on his doorstep. Diane has moved her and her young daughter, Spring, to New York City for a change of pace. After first worrying Spring could possibly be his, Dylan doesn’t know how to handle the sudden change in his life. Diane assures him he is not the father, but won’t go into any further details on Spring’s father. Dylan falls into a comfortable pattern with Diane and Spring, and enjoys having more to live for than just his job, money, or his next fling. But his new shiny life is soon smashed to pieces when Diane is killed in a car accident. With no other family members stepping forward, it seems Dylan is the only person young Spring has left in her life. Dylan has to decide if he can handle the sudden responsibility of parenthood, understand the legalities of adopting a child, and see if he can handle spinning all the plates at once.
Spinning was such a wonderful read. Dylan isn’t the most likeable character at first, but you can see he is only human. Spring breaths fresh air into the novel, and I broke down at several points when reading thinking about how she lost her mother at such a young age. Baron explores deep and sensitive topics- single parenthood, death, adoption- just to name a few. This book promises to touch a nerve with all readers, and will leave you thinking about the character’s lives after you have finished. Another must read from Michael Baron.
[Rating: 4.5]See Michael Baron’s guest post on writing fiction!
