PARADISE

In this novel, an established romance author decides to face her past and present by writing a memoir.

In her 60s and divorced, Claire Leccese is finally coming to terms with the trauma of enduring several years of her father’s abuse and the resulting emotional effects on her personal and romantic relationships. With the support of her best friend, Guy Gaetano, and his husband, Thad, Claire starts her healing journey and moves back to Southampton, New York. Once there, she rekindles her relationship with Sydney Howard, a thriving artist who provides a safe space for her granddaughter to come out. Claire starts to write her memoir and deal with all the secrets she’s kept hidden for so long. Coccioli uses Claire and Sydney’s relationship to introduce several open wounds that haunt the protagonist’s romantic affairs. An early interaction, where readers see that Claire is afraid of being naked in front of Sydney, shows her body-image issues as well as insinuating that she won’t let him near her. Their subsequent argument exposes Claire’s “safe basics” and scars from her past relationships where “men and women had taken confidential information and used pieces of it to set off my emotional triggers and get their way.” The author’s careful interweaving of flashbacks and present-day exchanges helps readers understand Claire’s complex healing odyssey. Claire is very open about her initial lack of maternal instincts with her own children and how her granddaughter has helped her address the situation. Claire also becomes self-aware when she realizes that people around her have insecurities that they need to tackle. As the absorbing story reveals Claire’s layers of pain, Coccioli skillfully captures the protagonist’s nuanced reactions to her memories. The dissociative episodes and triggers (for example, when Sydney calls Claire baby during a sexual encounter) paint a realistic trauma response. That said, the author does not shy away from graphic depictions of Claire’s repeated abuse, which makes the book a difficult read at times.

This engrossing tale about a survivor of childhood abuse deftly depicts the healing process.