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Sometimes people can be likened to stones in a tumbler. After an incident batters and beats them, some crack under the pressure, others are left with raw, emotional wounds, but some come through polished and beautiful like a fine gemstone. You never know what you’ll get until the process has ended. So goes the life of Anne Rockford.
For years, Anne Rockford has lived an almost ideal life. She has a loving and doting husband, three wonderful children, and a lovely home. Then, one day, she gets a letter from a friend she hasn’t seen in years, who tells her that her husband has been cheating on her practically from the moment they wed—and the letter writer was one of his affairs.
Confused and uncertain, Anne doesn’t know what to believe. How could her husband betray her for that many years without her realizing? When she confronts him, he denies it (of course), but Anne can’t lay the niggling doubts aside, so she sets out to find the truth. What she discovers shocks and devastates her. Now she has to decide what she’s going to do about it, if anything.
Ah, another classic someone-done-me-wrong plot. No, wait, that’s a country song. Same difference. Though I felt sorry for Anne (and I can definitely relate to her situation), sometimes I just wanted to shake her until her teeth rattled and tell her that he’s not worth the effort. She waffles back and forth between wanting to fix her marriage and wanting to leave her husband, which makes her a truly frustrating character. Phil, on the other hand, is a pathetic excuse for a human being, but it works for the story. You’re not going to like him very much, but you’re not supposed to, either. I drew the line at feeling sorry for him, though, no matter how disturbed his childhood might have been.
Tumbling Stones is a highly entertaining read if you’re interested in romantic drama. It’s not something that I usually like, but I found myself drawn into the story, wanting to find out which decision Anne would reach and how the emotional trauma would influence her life. However, the ending left me a bit ambivalent toward the whole outcome, and it came across as a little contrived—a little too convenient.
All in all, Tumbling Stones is worth a read, but don’t expect it to bust loose with any real shockers pertaining to men who commit adultery.
