Forever, Interrupted - A Book Review
By: Mallory Johnson
Forever, Interrupted is the first book written by Taylor Jenkins Reid, and it came out in 2013. This was my first read of 2022 and I really enjoyed it. I would call the book adult literary fiction because it has romance in it but it is not the main focus. Before I go any further, SPOILER ALERT. Also, trigger warnings for: death, loss, grief, depression, car accident, medical trauma, family estrangement, infertility, cursing, death of a parent, and sexual content. The story follows a young couple, Ben and Elsie, who get married after only knowing each other for six months. One night a week after they eloped, Elsie is craving cereal and Ben takes his bike to go pick some up at a nearby store. When Elsie hears sirens, she runs down to the street to see the cereal she was craving covering the street and finds out the worst news of her life: Ben was hit by a moving truck and died on impact. She is in disbelief and goes to the hospital (as Ben was an organ donor). At the hospital, she meets a woman who does not believe that Elsie was married to Ben: her dramatic mother in law, Susan. The story alternates between chapters of Ben and Elsie’s short lived romance and Elsie and Susan’s budding relationship and grieving process and is very heartbreaking.
Taylor Jenkins Reid is my favorite author. I have read all (except one) of her books. Her other books include the popular The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Daisy Jones and the Six, Malibu Rising, Maybe in Another Life, One True Loves, which I have read. The only one of hers that I have not read (but plan on reading soon) is called After I Do. In true Taylor Jenkins Reid fashion, Forever Interrupted is heartbreaking in the best way. There is one chapter that ends with Ben setting up his voicemail because a toxic ex-girlfriend kept calling him. The next chapter starts with Elsie listening to his voicemail message on repeat after she lost him. I really enjoyed how Elsie and Susan repaired their tough relationship and how they helped each other with their grief. I also really loved the character Mr. Callahan, a regular patron at the library that Elsie works at. Something I found interesting in the book is how the author would describe young adult books without outright saying the titles - it was almost like Taylor Jenkins Reid could not do it for copyright reasons. For example, Ben shows Mr. Callahan a book that was heartbreaking and had a blue cover - which I believe is The Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
I loved the message in the book that grief affects you no matter how long you knew the person. Elsie only knew Ben for six months and you see her entire grieving process compared to Susan’s, who knew Ben his whole life.
One of my favorite parts of the book is how Elsie honors Ben and his reading legacy - he loves young adult books. So, when she got the inheritance from him, she went to a nearby bookstore and bought out their entire young adult book section. She then donated it to her library and called it the “Ben Ross Young Adult Section.” It was a very emotional scene that I loved.
Overall, I really loved this book and I give it a strong 10/10! I cannot wait to read After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid and I hope she releases more books soon!