Caught off guard

Book Info: Betty & Veronica by Elena Aitken. Published by Ink Blot Communications in 2011

So while traveling last week I carried my kindle instead of my usual couple of paperbacks. It was odd, but it did give me a chance to re-read some of my "trashy novels." One night in an effort to read something new, I chose this short story. I had picked this one up awhile back for free from Amazon. I had assumed it was a short romance novel, and hadn't read the description.

Well, I was in for quite a shock. Rather than a love story, this is a story of lasting friendship. On the beach for their yearly vacation, Addison informs her best friend Rori that she has breast cancer. The rest of the story stumbles through the reality of cancer. Addison moves in with Rori, so Rori can take care of her friend through the struggles of chemo and radiation therapy.  Addison even convinces Rori to train and run the 10k for the Race for the Cure.

Each scene with the two friends illuminates the relationship women have with each other. As I read I was reminded of my own friends. There is very little I wouldn't do for my friends and therefore I felt I could relate to Rori in that way.

I don't want to give the ending away, but suffice to say it didn't shock me. There was sufficient foreshadowing to prepare you for the eventual outcome. Yet, I wasn't prepared for how it happened. The author provided a twist that surprised me, and yet I understood each woman's actions.

I will probably read this one again, though not anytime soon. Tears are really not my thing.