Rachel Atherton Charvat – Red/Black

‘Red/Black’ by Rachel Atherton Charvat is a book, unlike most others that I have read. It deals with the sensitive themes of mental health and gambling and I must say, they are dealt with sensitively by the author.

Sarah Hughes has a life most would envy. A great relationship, beautiful children and a husband who is in the armed forces, so a stable job too. Then her husband accepts a fulltime post in Germany, so they move there, all is great. Then things begin to fall apart for Sarah as she falls apart. The move has made the traumatic loss of a child and her grief bubble to the surface. Then she starts gambling online a little until it’s more than she thought.

I liked the front cover of this book, it struck the right note to make me want to read it along with the synopsis also. I also enjoyed the way the author has managed to create a story that really made me want to see how Sarah fared throughout the book. I felt for her, when we discover her child passed away in a car accident I was as upset as she was. The emotions touched me throughout. The grief on top of the move to a strange place with no one to help. The move alone is a big enough thing but add to that the trauma of a child passing the majority of her issues were understandable.

A story that had me thinking after I had finished it. The sign of a good book!

Thank you to Random Things Tours and the author for the book to bring you my thoughts today.