Abdelrhman Hamdy Hamdy itibaren Padang Genteng, South Kaur, Kaur Regency, Bengkulu, Indonēzija
‘Life is messy, clean it up,’ is a well-known sound byte from a product advertisement on television. Unfortunately, real life is more complicated, with enough twist and turns to make the most stalwart among us dizzy. In Joyce Scarbrough’s novel, Symmetry, she has written a winner focusing on the complexity of life and the many facets of human relationships. Jessica and Lee Cassady’s life becomes more complicated when they come face-to-face with the realization that their marriage is not as perfect as it should have been. Jess has no doubt that Lee loves her, but his macho posturing has always been a source of irritation to her, and his inability to understand her needs suddenly becomes maddening when she calls his hotel room and a woman answers. Scarbrough’s book is not your ordinary romantic potboiler, for she has combined a wonderful story with some of the problems that many people have to live with on a daily basis. Jess has a hair-pulling condition called Trichotillomania, which is one of many types of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Her book is not only entertaining, but it serves to increase public awareness of this condition, as well as the many others that make some of us ‘different’ from our friends. Having had cancer twice in my lifetime, I am well aware of support groups and what they can mean for someone suffering from afflictions beyond their control. Symmetry is well written, informative, and entertaining, and most important, it might open the eyes of many who are having trouble understanding the behavior of a loved one. The characters are real and the fast moving plot will keep you wanting more, I highly recommend this book and I suggest that you put it on your reading list. Symmetry is a novel you don’t want to miss.