BORDERLINE

After she falls for a charming but disturbed man, a woman discovers clues that point to a past life.

Jessica and Daniel met through the personals section. Jessica, egged on by her dear friend Martha, placed the ad to help combat her loneliness–she's divorced, with two grown children–and to help deal with her uncertain future, as she's been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Though it's largely in remission, the disease could return in earnest at any time. The usually reserved Jessica forms an uncharacteristically strong bond with Daniel despite his occasional emotional outbursts and sudden mood swings. They become intimate, but soon after she confesses her love for him, he suddenly disappears, lighting out for Galveston under the cover of night. Daniel is never far from Jessica's mind, however, and even seems to find his way her recurring dream, which revolves around her in a cabin with a baby that somehow has Daniel's eyes. Eventually, things go sour for Daniel in Galveston, and after a brief fling with an alcoholic, he realizes he has powerful feelings for Jessica. He returns, and contacts her, but Jessica is tentative. However, after an odd conversation with her dying stepfather, she begins to suspect that she has known Daniel before, perhaps in a previous life. But before the two can be happy together, they will have to solve some puzzles from Daniel's past concerning the death of his son and a mysterious blank spot in his memory. Can Jessica convince Daniel to seek treatment for his mental illness? And were they really together centuries ago? Borderline is competently written, and Herndon captures the loneliness and uncertainty that plagues her characters. However, she usually does so through extended internal monologue, instead of more effectively bringing her characters to life through their words and actions.

Overly reliant on mental soliloquy to drive the plot, but tender, heartfelt and ultimately affecting.