My background in the field of Psychology seems to always pull me towards books that stir up that part of my life. Linda MacDonald has no short of themes from the mental health spectrum woven throughout her novel to challenge your perspectives on human behavior which include: emotional abuse, narcissistic personality, destructive relationships and infidelity via an emotional affair rather than the typical physical aspect. She did a fantastic job of pulling into the light those aspects of human behavior most want kept in the darkness so you are forced to confront your own attitudes on the subjects or even wonder if you aren't mimicking some of her characters behaviors in your own life???

I liked that you are treated to an intense look into the lives and psychological viewpoints from two very different women throughout this storyline. MacDonald really fleshed out her characters in order to make her point and it was obvious she spent some time understanding the subjects she planned to use as plot devices so you felt grounded in reality. That also caused its own share of problems as you will find your own emotions challenged thanks to her vivid writing.

People who like to have their brains challenged while reading a good fictional story or are interested in a thought provoking examination of dysfunctional relationships will be pulled towards as it digs into your psyche and hooks you to the end. ( )

The first thing about this book that attracted my attention was the title. Immediately I started to wonder who this man was in his needlecord jacket.

That man is Coll, named after the Scottish island, not short for Colin. In his 50s, he is one of those men who comes to life around a woman he feels 'gets him'. Felicity is one of those women but his poor long-suffering partner of 10 years, Sarah, doesn't seem to be anymore.

Although Coll is the character around which the story revolves, it's told from the points of view of Felicity and Sarah. It's very much a character-driven tale with little plot as such. It's a slice of life story, covering the short time after Coll meets Felicity. I liked Felicity in many ways but I found her to be quite selfish at times. She's strong and goes for what she wants (even when that means breaking up her 30 year marriage to a good man). She's a restaurateur and a mother. But I liked Sarah more for her kindness and her patience even if I did want to shake her sometimes for her seeming devotion to a man who calls her a liability! They were two quite different female characters and I liked the contrast between them.

I found this to be a fascinating read. Being a character-driven book means the characters have to deliver and they do here. I found I could imagine each one very well, how they would behave and speak. The two women do a good job of describing Coll too, essentially a weak man who thinks highly of himself and to be honest has few redeeming features.

I cared about the female characters. Sarah and Coll visit Venice and without giving anything away, I felt Sarah's emotions so strongly during their trip. I was also pleased with the ending which I thought was just right.

I was happy when I got to the end to find out that some of the characters feature in Linda MacDonald's other books. I really liked this one and it grew on me more and more as I read on. It kind of crept up on me - a quiet book which had a real impact on me. There's a lot of empathy in the writing. This is a look at the psychology of relationships, how we can hurt each other and how selfish we can be sometimes. It's a brilliant look at human nature at its best and worst. I loved it. ( )