It’s hard to believe that before I picked up FRAGILE by Lisa Unger, I hadn’t read any of this New York Times best-selling author’s other four novels (Die For You, Beautiful Lies, Sliver of Truth and Black Out—I hear they are fantastic!). Unger’s gripping thriller, FRAGILE captivated me from the first sentence and held my attention until the last page. When her teenage son’s girlfriend, Charlene, disappears, Maggie, a psychologist, helps her husband, Jones, the lead detective in their small town, investigate the case. And as she looks deep into the circumstances surrounding Charlene’s vanishing, Maggie discovers eerie parallels between Charlene’s abduction and the disappearance of a local girl who went missing in the very same town years before. During Maggie’s investigation she also uncovers a long-buried town secret that could destroy everything she holds dear.
This book was an exciting departure from the novels I usually read and I strongly recommend that everyone pick up a copy ASAP! And for one lucky person, I have a copy of FRAGILE to give away! Just leave a comment on this blog post and you’ll be entered to win a copy. (The winner will be randomly selected and announced by Monday).
I was thrilled when Lisa Unger took time out of her incredibly busy life (she’s a mother to a daughter she calls “darling, funny, and beautiful” and just finished her next top-secret novel) and agreed to answer some questions.
Lisa Steinke: What's the number one reason why someone should read Fragile?
Lisa Unger: Because story is life. Read my book. Read anyone's book. Just read.
LS: Describe Fragile in three words:
LU: Nuanced, suspenseful, thought-provoking ... I hope. (Okay, that's technically six words. But I'm a novelist. I almost can't help it.)
LS: What's one word to describe how someone will feel when they finish reading Fragile?
LU: Introspective.
LS: Fill in the blank: If I wasn't a writer, I'd be a:
LU: Psychologist.
LS: Fill in the blank: When I'm not writing, I'm:
LU: a Mommy. Or is it when I'm not doing mommy things, I'm writing? Hard to say these days!
LS: Biggest "writing distraction":
LU: My darling, funny, beautiful daughter! I always want to be with her.
LS: What do you do to try to eliminate writing distractions?
LU: There's no need to eliminate distractions. Writing is part of life. Life needs to be lived well to write well.
LS: If you had to be on a reality show, what show would you pick and why?
LU: I would never, for any reason, be on a reality show. Never.
LS: To Nook or not to Nook?
LU: Not to Nook. (Not that there's anything wrong with that.) But books!! Shelves and shelves of them.
LS: Are you working on your next book? Any hints as to what it's about?
LU: My next novel is complete. But it's my job to keep you in suspense. So stay tuned in 2011.
To learn more about the incredibly talented Lisa Unger, you can visit her website at www.lisaunger.com or follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/LisaUnger.
What’s your favorite Lisa Unger novel?
Lisa Steinke</b>, along with her best friend Liz Fenton, co-authored the chick lit novel I’ll Have Who She’s Having and co-created the popular Chick Lit blog, Chick Lit is Not Dead.
