Review of Deceit
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Sam Nayini
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- Latest Review: Deceit by Vernon Baumrind
Review of Deceit
[Following is a volunteer review of "Deceit" by Vernon Baumrind.]
"Deceit" by Vernon Baumrind dives into his own personal story of dealing with conflict within his family beautifully as he expresses his personal feelings about the situation as well as details that were not expressed in the 1984 case. The novel introduces problems of infidelity Baumrind faces with his wife, Linda, as well as his heightened concern of taking main custody of his children, and above all else, choosing to prioritize his children's and his own happiness over a marriage that is filled with lies. Through Linda's infidelity with her gynecologist, Ewing, she becomes a sort of "sex addict," as Baumrind describes their relationship as primarily sexual, where Linda mainly does sexual favors with Ewing.
The novel, overall, is well-structured with good diction and is easy-to-read. With no underlying meanings or motifs, it is a relatively simple book yet also complex when it comes to the whirlwind of emotions Baumrind feels as he narrates the entire story. The flashbacks taking place in between was seamless and gave the reader a good understanding of how their marriage was like before the infidelity and how their love has progressed- and regressed- since they met. The written conversations of the recordings that Baumrind included in the novel from when he wiretapped Linda's phone were very interesting and gave the reader an additional insight into how exactly Linda cheated on him. These written-out recordings were helpful and felt as if the novel was centered around them so that the reader could truly understand the degree to which Linda and Ewing's relationship was drastic.
I found that the book was well-written and also brought to light the amount of grief and sorrow a cheating scandal can bring to one's life, especially when children are involved. I found it admirable that Baumrind cared so much about his children and prioritized them above his "once-love" for Linda. The book did, however, bring up sexual topics very frequently, making me feel slightly uncomfortable as it was a bit graphic, so if the novel had less of it I would be more pleased. The editing was also very well done, with no mistakes at all throughout the book.
Overall, it felt like a light read and also brought a good amount of drama to the table yet I would give it 4 out of 5. The reason being that it felt very one-sided and dismissive of other points of view, sometimes feeling as if the novel would exaggerate how the affair went. To me, it seemed that the novel was mainly written to make profit off of the case instead of informing others about infidelity and the best way to deal with the issue. Additionally, the repeated mention of sexual favors, in sometimes extreme detail, made it uncomfortable to read, as if Baumrind was completely shaming on Linda for wanting to be more sexual, which was the reason she gave for ending their marriage. It was still and enjoyable read, however, and truly showed the impact of divorce on one's family.
******
Deceit
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
"Deceit" by Vernon Baumrind dives into his own personal story of dealing with conflict within his family beautifully as he expresses his personal feelings about the situation as well as details that were not expressed in the 1984 case. The novel introduces problems of infidelity Baumrind faces with his wife, Linda, as well as his heightened concern of taking main custody of his children, and above all else, choosing to prioritize his children's and his own happiness over a marriage that is filled with lies. Through Linda's infidelity with her gynecologist, Ewing, she becomes a sort of "sex addict," as Baumrind describes their relationship as primarily sexual, where Linda mainly does sexual favors with Ewing.
The novel, overall, is well-structured with good diction and is easy-to-read. With no underlying meanings or motifs, it is a relatively simple book yet also complex when it comes to the whirlwind of emotions Baumrind feels as he narrates the entire story. The flashbacks taking place in between was seamless and gave the reader a good understanding of how their marriage was like before the infidelity and how their love has progressed- and regressed- since they met. The written conversations of the recordings that Baumrind included in the novel from when he wiretapped Linda's phone were very interesting and gave the reader an additional insight into how exactly Linda cheated on him. These written-out recordings were helpful and felt as if the novel was centered around them so that the reader could truly understand the degree to which Linda and Ewing's relationship was drastic.
I found that the book was well-written and also brought to light the amount of grief and sorrow a cheating scandal can bring to one's life, especially when children are involved. I found it admirable that Baumrind cared so much about his children and prioritized them above his "once-love" for Linda. The book did, however, bring up sexual topics very frequently, making me feel slightly uncomfortable as it was a bit graphic, so if the novel had less of it I would be more pleased. The editing was also very well done, with no mistakes at all throughout the book.
Overall, it felt like a light read and also brought a good amount of drama to the table yet I would give it 4 out of 5. The reason being that it felt very one-sided and dismissive of other points of view, sometimes feeling as if the novel would exaggerate how the affair went. To me, it seemed that the novel was mainly written to make profit off of the case instead of informing others about infidelity and the best way to deal with the issue. Additionally, the repeated mention of sexual favors, in sometimes extreme detail, made it uncomfortable to read, as if Baumrind was completely shaming on Linda for wanting to be more sexual, which was the reason she gave for ending their marriage. It was still and enjoyable read, however, and truly showed the impact of divorce on one's family.
******
Deceit
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Deceit by Vernon Baumrind
