Review: Play with fire, bound to get burned.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 5, 2013
Cathy leads a charmed life, perfect husband, perfect career, but there's still one thing she feels is missing. Will she find it or will the sweet pull of forbidden fruit drag her closer to the fire of temptation? Doesn't she know that heat this hot is bound to be explosive and will leave no one unscathed?Arsen is well written tale and I liked that it dealt with some very sensitive subjects of infidelity and loss. Although I did not always like some of the characters, I appreciated that the author did not shy away from showcasing flaws as well as attributes.At the heart of Arsen is an intense struggle. I would have liked to see more of Cathy's inner struggle. She made it seem as if she couldn't help herself and that it was fate or destiny that lead Arsen into her life. Cathy is a smart and successful woman and I think she would have been a better-rounded character if we could have felt that struggle between doing the right thing or giving into temptation. Pat answers that amount to `the devil made me do it' didn't quite cut it.Some have felt this was a heart-wrenching tale and I agree it is a sad state of affairs. Reading Arsen felt like a train wreck about to happen and yet I couldn't look away nor put it down. I felt many things during my read; anger, disgust, gloom. However at the end of it all, I mostly felt sad. Did I feel sorry for Cathy? I have gone back and forth with this and ultimately I do not. This was a situation born out of tragedy but it was one that was self-made. Cathy blamed others for her mistakes and was looking for salvation in others too. Instead she should have been looking within for answers.Arsen is provocative and unsettling and shoots for a complexity that is missing a little humility. Nonetheless, it will incite a response that will leave you reeling.