A Borrowed Life by Kerry Anne King ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"The house looks strange, as if I've never seen it before.  The greens in the throw rug in the living room grate on my nerves.  I hate green, at least in that color, would have chosen blues if I'd had a say.  Everything is so freakishly neat, it looks like a stage set.  There is not one thing in this room that I love, that belongs to me.  My entire married life feels like a book I read, a movie I watched." (p 17)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review

September 2020; Lake Union; 978-1542019484
audio, ebook, print (319 pages); women's fiction

A Borrowed Life is an adult 'coming of age' story.  Liz, the main character is 49 years old but she hasn't been able to be 'herself' since she got married 26 years earlier to a man who controlled her life.  He was a preacher and the head of the household in every way - he told her how to dress, how to act as a preacher's wife and how to raise their only child.  He believed that man was the head of the household and that women were only put on earth to serve their husbands.  When he dies of a sudden heart attack she gradually begins to take her life back and to find the 'inner Liz' - the person she always wanted to be.  She decides to try out with a local theater group and begins to investigate life as she hasn't been able to.  Shocked by the changes in her life are not only the 'church people' but more importantly her daughter Abigail.  Because Abigail was raised in such a controlled household she lives a life that is very strictly controlled.  She is appalled that her mother tried out for the play, that her mother has had a few drinks and then the last straw is when her mother gets pregnant.  She feels like she has to move home to protect her mother from the terrible outside influences and really wants to control her mother - something that Liz isn't willing to let happen now that she's just found freedom.

Liz is one of my favorite characters in a long time. I loved the way she began to open up her life and the fact that she was willing to try a lot of new things even though her husband's voice in her mind kept degrading her.  I loved seeing the changes that Liz made in her life and I was on her side as she faced the challenges that she was presented with.  She was stronger than she gave herself credit for.  This is a wonderful story about hope and self-discovery, family and love, and breaking out of the bonds that have held you back.  It's a very well-written story with very real - flaws and all - characters who you really care about.  It was great to see Liz break out of the life that was forced on her and learning to love and respect herself again.  It's Kerry Anne King at her best.

Buy A Borrowed Life at Amazon

About the Author 

Kerry Anne King is the Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestselling author of Closer Home, I Wish You Happy, Whisper Me This, and Everything You Are. Licensed as both an RN and a mental-health counselor, she draws on her experience working in the medical and mental-health fields to explore themes of loss, grief, and transformation—but always with a dose of hope and humor. Kerry lives in a little house in the big woods of the Inland Northwest with her Viking, three cats, a dog, and a yard full of wild turkeys and deer. She also writes fantasy and mystery novels as Kerry Schafer. Visit Kerry at www.kerryanneking.com.

Susan Roberts lives in North Carolina with her husband of over 50 years.  She grew up in Michigan but now calls North Carolina home. Since her travel plans had to be canceled for this year, she is starting to make plans for travel in 2021. She reads almost anything (and the piles of books in her house prove that) but her favorite genres are Southern fiction, women's fiction, and historical fiction. Susan is a top 1% Goodreads Reviewer. You can connect with Susan on Facebook, Goodreads, or Twitter.

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