Review: Emotional domestic drama
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 3, 2012
When Pace complained of feeling ill she was not expecting a blood test to show she was pregnant, especially when her husband had a vasectomy three years before. While Pace is convinced it is all a mistake, Jason's faith in his wife is shattered, especially when she lies about the doctor's report. In short order, their happy marriage begins to disintegrate into a morass of suspicion and resentment.While Pace and Jason don't believe their relationship can survive without trust, Pace's mother is trying to ignore yet another of her husband's infidelities. Victoria has long ago lost trust in her husband but clung to the marriage for the security it offered her. His latest fling though is a 20 year old intern, the daughter of a friend, and when Colin's secret becomes public, Tori is finally forced to make a choice, but can she trust herself?Misconception is an emotional domestic drama exploring the issues of trust, communication and fidelity in a marriage. Hayes contrasts the relationship between Pace and Jason with that of Pace's parents, examining the issues the couples face and the differences in how they choose to deal with them.Pace and Jason are characters that are easy to relate to, married for a few years they are happy but under pressure with children and work and the intimacy of their relationship is a casualty. Realistically, I think Jason's reaction to Pace's unexpected pregnancy is understandable, even in the most ideal of marital circumstances and Hayes captures the doubts, fears and resentments caused by the situation perfectly.The relationship between Victoria and Colin also has the ring of truth and I thought Hayes demonstrated Tori's conflict about the state of her marriage credibly. There is no mention of this plot in the blurb which is a bit odd since it does have quite a lot of significance. While the two plots intersect nicely, I think they could have perhaps been meshed a little more.The writing is solid and Hayes demonstrates a good grasp of realistic dialogue. There were a few minor errors in the text but they are barely worth mentioning. The pace is good and I found it an easy and fairly quick read. I must mention that the title is an inspired choice with it's dual reference.Overall, Misconception was a pleasant read with an interesting scenario that had me considering what my reaction would be in similar circumstances. Commitment is just a concept until it is truly tested.