Book Review: "This Is Falling" by Ginger Scott

Author: Ginger Scott

Genres: Coming of Age, New Adult Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance

Release Date: August 29, 2014

Availability: Pre-sales on Amazon.com and iBooks

     I have been trying to write this review for nearly a month. Rowe Stanton has been through a major tragedy. When she goes off to college, it's her decision that she is going to try and live, even though her physical scars are healed and her emotional scars are not even close to healing. I too went through a major tragedy (bullets included) and when I went to college, I decided to deal with that major tragedy. My physical scars were long healed and some faded. But my emotional scars were not, they were wide open. Our tragedies are not the same but I was Rowe Stanton at one time. I couldn't know how Rowe felt when I started This Is Falling, I only know how I felt about my own story.  However, Ginger Scott told me EXACTLY how Rowe felt. And now that I've figured that out a month later, I think I know how to write this review.

     This Is Falling is Ginger Scott's fifth novel.  Ginger Scott is the first author to ever draw tears from my eyes through the power of her writing. Ginger Scott has hit it out of the park. AGAIN.

     Rowe Stanton needs to live again. She needs to live among the living and put her past behind her and start looking to her future. She has no idea how to do that. Then she meets Nate Preeter. Handsome, All-American baseball player, Nate Preeter. When Rowe meets Nate and Nate finds out Rowe's story, he doesn't make the same big mistake that everyone seems to try and do: he doesn't try to SAVE her or fix her. In my own life, from my college fiancee to my present husband, and including all of the men in between, they've all wanted to SAVE me from my past.  People like Rowe and me don't need saving or fixing, we need a place to land when we FALL. And that's what Nate does. He gives Rowe a place to land when she's falling flat on her face.

     When Rowe and Nate meet for the first time, I swear it's love at first sight and they don't know it. But the connection is immediate even though Rowe is skittish. But Nate? He's the most patient book boyfriend I've ever read. Because Nate wants Rowe and Rowe absolutely wants Nate but Rowe is so conflicted because she has no idea how to live in the present, she doesn't even know if she should accept what Nate is offering.

     But then Rowe begins to open up a little bit. With her crazy, prankster sense of humor which matches Nate to a tee. I'm reminded of pink and Barbie and I just have to crack up like I did when I was reading the book. I was so floored at that point because I developed a quirky sense of humor and it was a MAJOR part of my own recovery from that awful time in my own life. And then I married a man with the best sense of humor in the UNIVERSE. And when he figured out I didn't need saving, the humor became part of the healing. In the end, my husband DID save me but it was after he stopped trying to do it. Nate can easily be seen as the cliche, perfect college boyfriend but he's not perfect. In fact he screws up a LOT and there's a big one courtesy of Rowe's father. I still can't believe Rowe's father asked what he did of Nate and I'm still kind of pissed that Nate was willing to do it. So no, he's not perfect. But he is perfect for Rowe even with the flaws.

     Ginger Scott was really ballsy to pick the incident that Rowe went through. When I read what happened to Rowe, I was stunned and impressed all at the same time. Then she had the guts to NOT get preachy about it, to not get political about it, and to focus on Rowe and her healing. She focused on Rowe and Nate. I loved the humor in this book because it needed to have humor in it. This could have been a real downer if Ms. Scott chose to get all "psycho-babble." She didn't.

     I could say this was my favorite book by Ginger Scott but I can't. I loved them all equally but for different reasons. I've tried to chose the one I love the most and I just can't.  This is my favorite Ginger Scott novel.  So are the other four. This I do know: I will read EVERY BOOK she writes. She can write about paint drying and I would read it. She'd find a way to make it exciting and moving all at the same time.

     Like so many who were touched by How We Deal With Gravity because of the Autism aspect of the book, I was touched by This Is Falling because I am Rowe. Well, I was Rowe. I have some idea of where Rowe will end up in her future as long as she keeps on trying. If she keeps on trying, because surviving tragedies like ours REQUIRE a lifetime of work to survive, she won't be perfect but she will have a good life.

"I Will Heal...Then WE (?) Will Heal" WTF?

I've written different kinds of Notes on Facebook and I've blogged in the past. I've written about turning 40, about life without the ability to have a child and about life growing up with no father because he was murdered. The latter was more reality intertwined with my dreams of what life would have been like if he'd lived.

But now, another pending matter (and there always seems to be SOMETHING) looms.

I've recently hit a strike of another possible abandonment in life. It comes in big ways and smaller ways but this one might actually be the result of ME walking away this time.

First, my birth mother abandoned me and my brother when were about 11 and 10 years old. She was a drunk and a junkie and from all accounts, she still is.

My aunt adopted me legally when I was in my 20's. I finally had a real mother. And, I was so happy. I felt liked I belonged to someone...finally.

Then, 7.5 years ago, my aunt-mother stopped talking to me over a rift that I can barely recall the details to. But I do remember that I apologized, answered every question she had truthfully and left the door open to come to me anytime. Eventually, on the advice of a professional, it came time to stop trying and move along with my own life.  I can't make her not angry with me and I can't worry about it anymore because she's angry with me.  She's angry with me because she can't be angry at someone else because it won't affect that person.  So, I'm the target.  Fine, moving on.

Other abandonments have probably come as a result of circumstance. I'm sure I haven't heard from some of my BFF's because they've had babies in their late 30's and I have no children. It's heartbreaking. These were the children who were supposed to have me in their lives and I refuse to impose myself on them. I figure if I'm wanted, they'll tell me.

I suppose there is some overall punishment hanging over me for all time for some reason, maybe a lot of reasons...I just don't know.

But now I have a friend of 20+ years who, after being hospitalized from a psychotic break after discontinuing medication, has decided she needs to heal so WE can heal.  The only problem is: WE are not broken.  At least not in my reality where there isn't a diseased mind.  Her mind, on the other hand, has completely flipped interactions between us in the past in a 180 degree direction.  Basically, she's seeing the exact opposite of what actually took place.  And I cannot even begin to describe the horrific, nightmare experiences my friend put me and her family through before she was finally hospitalized.

So, I'm thinking it might be high time to say goodbye to that friendship.  I've given a lot over the years to those who are the closest to me.  Sometimes giving to the point where I allowed advantage to be taken willingly because I was being helpful.

I'm now at the point where even the smallest courtesy asked for has become suspicious.  I never expect reciprocation when I give to another.  But now the whole "give an inch, take a foot" thing is out of hand.  And I suppose there shouldn't be a "give an inch, take a foot" thing when it comes to those closest to you but eventually, one grows weary.  Eventually, you do start to wonder, not if they'll give back but, if they'll even acknowledge what you gave.

I can accept that relationships have their time. Some are for life, some are for only a little while maybe for some unknown purpose and most fall somewhere in the middle. But maybe it's time I did some "friend cleaning" in other places other than just on Facebook.