Love and Other Natural Disasters by Holly Shumas

What is worse, a physical affair? Or an emotional affair? What is more forgiveable? Love and Other Natural Disasters is an exploration of how one couple gets through an emotional affair. Holly Shumas is a licensed marriage and family therapist who explores this idea in her second novel. Eve is close to giving birth to her second child, and reflecting on the wonderful life she has with her husband Jonathan, when she discovers he is involved, emotionally, with another woman. How she reacts to this knowledge, and how she struggles to make sense of it is only half the story. Her hurt is palpable and yet at the same time I felt some of her reactions were extreme. But then again, how do we know how we would react given the same situation. How would you feel and what would you do if you found that your husband had an emotionally intimate relationship with another woman. That he was more able to discuss and share things with her than you. And even more hurtful is that he kept it secret. Jon's affair is mostly conducted through email and that makes the secretiveness easy without any outright lies. As such, he doesn't see this extra-marital relationship as wrong as there is no physical relationship. It is a sign of the times that people can meet and become emotionally involved online, without even meeting in person. Could this difference of thought and perspective be attributed in part to how men and women are emotionally wired? An interesting story that gives much to think about. A well-written book and I recommend it.