Synopsis
He is exactly what she needs. But how far into his mind is
she willing to go?
Jesse has a curious attraction to Charlene, a hostess at the restaurant where he works. Outwardly he’s rude, awkward and unapproachable. But his sudden bursts of charm are inescapable. A devastating childhood filled with physical and emotional abuse have left him complex and frigid.
Charlene, an innocent, is quickly mystified. Her craving for him generates an infatuation and a purpose. Losing weight and gaining confidence, she begins taking more risks. She defies her past, damaged and tender, in order to move ahead.
Jesse has a curious attraction to Charlene, a hostess at the restaurant where he works. Outwardly he’s rude, awkward and unapproachable. But his sudden bursts of charm are inescapable. A devastating childhood filled with physical and emotional abuse have left him complex and frigid.
Charlene, an innocent, is quickly mystified. Her craving for him generates an infatuation and a purpose. Losing weight and gaining confidence, she begins taking more risks. She defies her past, damaged and tender, in order to move ahead.
"Progress" is a realistic tale of two friends who both have similar issues that make them hesitant to get close to anyone. Jesse's demons have manifested into an emotional detachment, and Charlene's, a physical one.
If nobody makes the first move then nobody gets hurt.
Is love is just an obsession when there's nowhere left to run? Their journeys take them down parallel paths which leave them just as emotionally unmatched and conflicted as the day they met.
As the story progresses the viewpoints change, giving the reader an insight to the character’s thoughts and feelings.
My Review
Jesse and Charlie are two tortured souls. Jesse runs hot and cold all the time, but Charlie feels drawn to him. She has a deep need to understand how he thinks. He is mostly looking for whatever is going to make him feel good, whether that is sex, alcohol, or pot. Charlie is an overweight woman who has been tormented throughout her adolescence, as happens quite often. She has carried the insecurities into adulthood and has lost the ability to trust the opposite sex. So begins a very complex, abusive, emotionally draining, uplifting, positive, and endearing relationship. This is a book where you finish it and feel like you've run a marathon, in a good way. I found myself crying for Charlie and reliving some of my own childhood issues. I haven't had a book hangover in a while, so I think I was due. I'm looking forward to seeing where this story goes. 4 out of 5!
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