A Cup of Tea by Amy Ephron

This novel was inspired by a Katherine Mansfield short story, A Cup of Tea. I think I will check it out from the library to see how it differs. It was a quick read, each chapter being only a couple of pages long, at most.

It would have been perfect for my car book. I keep one there so that if both kids fall asleep I am not stuck in the car waiting for them to wake up. I can't move them either because most likely they will have power-napped and be awake when I don't want them to be. I take advantage of these moments and turn them into Me Time. That means a trip through drive-thru Starbucks, drive somewhere nice or home and settle in with my car book.

Can you change some one's life by doing something nice for them? Can your act of kindness set the course of their life in a completely different direction? Did you think that by doing so your life would not be touched other than to be able to say that you did something nice for another person? How many people's lives are touched by your actions, even if they are not the direct recipient?

This is that story. Yet there are pieces missing, on purpose that make you wonder who the characters really are... what happened to shape them into who they are.

I read it fairly quickly, as I enjoyed it. I will tell you that, as the back of the book reads..."there is a shocking conclusion." Okay, not exactly earth shattering like Night Fall by Nelson DeMille (holy crap!!!! the way ND wove real life and fiction together!!! a favorite of mine) or absolutely angering (for me) at the horrible tragedy of Message in a Bottle by Nicholas Sparks ~ I was so bitter about the ending of that one that I swore I would never read it again and nearly made up my mind not to read another one of his stories. I got over it enough to read other books by him.

The thing I liked about A Cup of Tea was that what I predicted what was going to happen, didn't. And it didn't end like I thought it was going to once I figured out that my prediction was wrong. It is a bit of a dark tale. A good winter book, under a blanket on a comfy couch on a rainy day, sweetened by a cup of hot chocolate.
(Did you think I was going to say tea?)