The Favor – Adele Griffin

Summary

At I’ll Have Seconds, a high-end fairytale vintage dress shop in Manhattan, Nora Hammond loves nothing better than pairing a rare find with the perfect client.

At home, Nora grapples with the bleaker reality of enormous debt, a tiny apartment, and ever-dwindling hope that she and her husband Jacob will have a family of their own.

When socialite Evelyn Elliot charges into Nora’s life, the women spark an immediate connection, and Nora is jettisoned into the heady whirl of New York’s moneyed elite. As Evelyn’s stylist and confidante, Nora needs to learn all new rules of engagement for the uber-wealthy. But it isn’t until Evelyn decides her next cause is to carry a baby for Nora, that these rules― and this unlikely friendship―are tested.

Review

This was such a challenging book in the sense that I had to take little breaks from it to think and re-shape my vision of the world and social issues, it forced my empathy to show and grow as we read the book from the point of view of Nora, who yearns for nothing more than to be a mother.

I adored Evelyn and the constant talk of fashion, that’s my thing, that’s my world, so I connected with her character more than anything in this book and it was difficult at times when the story delved into just Nora’s and Jacob’s relationship and problems, as I’ve, luckily, never encountered problems like having to sell a precious or sentimental item to afford a house, or afford basic necessities. I did judge the decision of Jacob of not really considering the idea of adoption and not taking into consideration his wive’s feelings sometimes, he also came as rather pushy so no surprise I’m not a fan of him.

I also second a fellow Goodreads-reviewer that it would have been nice to see why Evelyn was the way she was, like a troubled yet happy-go-lucky butterfly.

All in all, this is a great book for self-introspection and the writing flows beautifully and fast. Definitely recommend for fiction/women’s fiction junkies.