Love and Other Natural Disasters

by Holly Shumas

Eve is eight months pregnant and in the middle of a Thanksgiving celebration when she discovers that her husband Jonathan has developed an intimate relationship with a woman over the past year. Jonathon asserts his innocence (an affair involves physical intimacy, and he didn't have any), while Eve feels deeply betrayed by the emotional connection he shared with someone else. What Jon has done seems so terrifyingly out of character that Eve finds herself...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446504777
• ISBN13: 9780446504775
• Release Date: January 2009
• Publisher: 5 Spot Pub
• Length: 340 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.1" x 7.7"

Customer Reviews

Powerful, thought provoking book

It's Thanksgiving. Eve is eight months pregnant with her second child. Her friends and family are over to celebrate the holiday, and she hears her husband, Jon, talking on the phone in hushed tones. She discovers that he has been in a "relationship" with another woman for over a year. The relationship isn't physical, but emotional. Eve feels betrayed, and asks Jon to leave. She begins questioning her entire life, the decision she made in getting married and having children so soon. Understandably, thoughts of Jon's "affair" plague her constantly. Is an emotional affair worse than a sexual one? Shumas' writing is emotional and honest. The reader feels the betrayal and anger that Eve experiences. The situation that Jon and Eve are experiencing is a very real one. LOVE AND OTHER NATURAL DISASTERS makes each reader, no matter their circumstances, reevaluate their lives, their relationships, and the decisions they make. An amazing piece of writing.

Thoughtful, Engrossing, Provocative- A Must Read!

I am very impressed with the debut of Holly Shumas' second book, Love & Other Natural Disasters. While her first novel showcased her ability to write a sharp, intelligent, witty novel, her 2nd novel catapults her to a new level of provocative & deeply intimate writing. I loved how Eve really evoked deep questions in her relationship that I as a reader could appreciate and relate with. I really enjoyed how the novel showcased complexity in points of view and and the lack of black/white thinking in her portrayal of a relationship that suddenly lost all ground. The question of "Who's to blame?" may have seemed easy at first, but Holly Shumas expertly turns this dynamic around a few twists and turns revealing a rich, multi-layered look at the guilt and innocence in human relationships complete with utter vulnerability, rawness and resiliency.

An Emotional Affair

Holly Shumas' second book, Love and Other Natural Disasters, yields a thought-provoking question: Is a man who is married, has a child, and is expecting another with his wife guilty of cheating after opening his heart to another woman via phone calls and emails for a year? The reader is left to decide as he/she reads Eve and Jonathon's story, told by Eve's point of view. Ms. Shumas' experience as a marriage and family therapist is revealed as she skillfully navigates us through this murky issue. I found the book engrossing and the idea of an "emotional affair" anything but straightforward. What I liked most is that I thought about the issue long after I put the book down. Love and Other Natural Disasters is a quick, fluid read that draws you in. I highly recommend it for a book club as readers debate whose side they are on, whether or not they are capable of taking sides, and what they might do if given a similar situation.

Predictable Yet Engrossing

Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (1/09) When I read that this book was written by a licensed marriage/family therapist, I admit to some hesitation about how good it would actually be. Too often I have read books written by professionals in their field who use fiction as way to reach readers who do not stray to the "self-help" section of the bookstore. However, it did not take long for me to figure out that "Love and Other Natural Disasters" is a clear exception to the rule. Ms. Shumas does a superb job of not allowing her professional experience to take over the story and rather, uses that experience to have well-thought-out characters take the story in its own direction. "Love and Other Natural Disasters" tells the story of Eve, a woman who is 8-months pregnant and enjoying Thanksgiving with her family, including husband Jon and 5-year-old son, Jacob. It is on this day, surrounded by guests, that Eve finds out Jon has been having an emotional affair for the past year. Jon feels he is innocent since there was no physical consummation of the affair, and seems to not understand Eve's sense of betrayal. Told entirely from Eve's point of view, "Love and Other Natural Disasters" explores what it is like to have your entire world torn from you, and to have that compounded by the fact that you are about to give birth to the child of a man who has hurt and betrayed you so deeply. It shows how sides are chosen, and how those who can offer the most help and support are often the last people we'd expect to turn to. Ms. Shumas uses a seamless flow of stories past and present to give the reader the whole picture of the story of Eve and Jon, and no stone goes unturned as we travel the road from betrayal to forgiveness with them. Some aspects of the story were predictable. We had the betrayed spouse (being pregnant added to the sympathy factor), oblivious husband, adorable child, and a myriad of friends and family members to round out all other possible stereotypes. We were given the usual arc of the husband being tossed out, living in a motel and then a seedy, dirty bachelor apartment as he sits feeling sorry for himself yet still not fully taking responsibility. The storyline itself and the way it fleshed out as a whole was a bit formulaic. Despite the predictability of the book, it was engrossing and a very emotional read. It was though-provoking in a way not many books of its kind can be and I feel "Love and Other Natural Disasters" by Holly Shumas is a great addition to the genre of women's fiction.

thought provoking deep look at relationships in the electronic age

During Thanksgiving with her spouse and their five years old son Jacob, eight months pregnant Eve thinks her Jonathon is having an affair, sort of. She sees how friendly he is on the phone with some unknown female and concludes where there is smoke there is fire. He denies her accusations. Eve opens his e-mail, which affirms he never physically touched the other woman, but shared a deep emotional relationship with her. However, Eve and Jon also realize how much they had drifted apart when both considers whether it is worth saving their marriage for themselves and not just the kids. This is a thought provoking deep look at what is cheating in a relationship especially in the electronic age. Fans will ponder whether one is stepping out on a spouse although there is no physical contact between the mate and the other person. Holly Shumas also raises the ethical question of whether it is ethically acceptable to perform domestic spying when a spouse suspects their mate of an affair; especially to check the personal email to find evidence they are cheating. Although the story line is a bit slow as the focus is deeply on the emotional behavior of the lead couple, readers will appreciate this fascinating sharp tale that asks what denotes cheating in the modern age. Harriet Klausner