The Hole in the Middle by Kate Hilton

The Hole in the Middle by Kate Hilton

ebook, 352 pages

Published November 12th 2013 (first published April 23rd 2013)

Published by HarperCollins Canada

I Don’t Know How She Does It for the This Is 40 generation.

Sophie Whelan is the epitome of the modern super woman. When she operates at peak performance, she can cajole balky employees, soothe her cranky children, trouble-shoot career disasters, throw a dinner party for 10, and draft an upbeat Christmas letter—all in the same day.

But as Sophie’s 40th birthday looms, her seamless life reveals disturbing web-like fractures. Conflict with her boss, blossoming jealousy of her husband’s femme fatale business partner, and her feelings of hopeless inadequacy as a mother and daughter, are cracking the edifice of her life.

Rescue may be at hand when Lillian Parker, a wealthy widow who befriended Sophie during her university days, makes Sophie an irresistible offer. Why, then, does Sophie hesitate? The answer is the reappearance of Lillian’s nephew, Will Shannon, the great unresolved love of Sophie’s life. As she remembers the vivid drama of their college romance, Sophie confronts the choices she has made in life and in love and looks for the one answer that has always eluded her: what does she really want?

The Hole in the Middle is a heartbreaking love story, a laugh-out-loud portrayal of the twin demands of work and family, and a fresh take on the hot debate about having it all. It is not to be missed.

My thoughts about The Hole in the Middle ~~

I loved my look at the corporate world, from the viewpoint of a woman who is trying to do it all. She's an executive in a large hospital as well as being a wife, mother, and friend. She is struggling to be it all for all those people in her life who are counting on her.

More alarming, I can feel an aching weariness in my chest. I've noticed it with some regularity lately, and it makes me nervous. Some days it's just a knot of anxiety, but today it feels like the hole in the middle of a donut: empty but for the wind whistling through it.

I love it when I find that little tidbit that ties the title to the story.

Sophie is having a difficult time in her marriage, her family life (kiddos and mother issues), her job, (her boss and her assistants are both an issue). She muddles through it but eventually has to stop and figure out what is really important.

Part of the story is told in flashbacks to the time when she was a student at university. The people she knew then are still a big part of her life now. I really liked that part of the story. The flashbacks give the reader a sense of how Sophie got to be where she is now and to understand how important all of these people are to her.

I absolutely loved Lillian, the elderly widow who knew Sophie way back when and is still involved in her life. She does whatever she wants to and has fun doing it. She also shares her thoughts about the 'hole in the middle' - that stage of life called 'the donut years'. I want to have a Lillian in my life!

One of my favorite passages is this one. Such wisdom.

'With love, it's not the why the matters. It's the how. It's the million of ways we reach out and connect with the people we love and try to make them happy and protect them from harm.'

I love Kate's writing and really enjoyed reading The Hole in the Middle. I look forward to reading whatever she writes next.

The cover on the left is the original cover.
The one on the left is the new cover.
Which one do you like best?

About the author

Kate Hilton has worked in law, higher education, public relations, fundraising and publishing. She has an English degree from McGill University and a law degree from the University of Toronto. She holds down a day job, volunteers for community organizations, raises two boys, cooks, collects art, reads voraciously and likes her husband. In her free time, she writes.

On good days, she thinks she might have it all. On bad days, she wants a nap. The Hole in the Middle is her first book. It was originally self-published, but has been acquired by HarperCollins Canada. It will be re-released in December 2013.

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