Skipping a Beat: A Novel
Not many individuals get a second chance at life. Julia Dunhill is thankful when her husband survives a very close brush with death, but as life after the incident continues, she soon finds her marriage may never be the same.
While Julia and Michael have been together for years, recently their marriage has begun to change in ways neither could ever have predicted. It seems as their star was rising financially and socially, their relationship was deteriorating before their very eyes.
When Julie looks around she sees all the trappings of wealth and luxury that Michael’s multimillion dollar beverage company have afforded them, but she also sees very little of her husband. In the last few years they have grown apart as business and everyday demands became the focus of their days. But all this changes dramatically when Michael suffers cardiac arrest in the middle of a board meeting and sees a glimpse of the other side.
The recovered Michael is a new man—a man who wants to give away his fortune, their home, and all the things for which he worked so tirelessly.
While appreciating that her husband survived, Julie cannot imagine what could make him take such drastic measures. How will they live if Michael gives away their home and all their savings? What will they do with themselves at this point in their lives if they must start from scratch? Besides the financial situation Julia must also finally be honest and admit that perhaps their marriage was over long ago.
In a work that mirrors real life in its complexity and scope, Skipping a Beat is novel of mesmerizing quality and unique depth rarely seen in modern commercial fiction. Exploring friendship, marriage and the multitude of emotions individuals in relationships experience as they travel the road of life together, Ms. Pekkanen creates characters that connect with readers beyond the page.
The intensity of the characters in Skipping a Beat and engaging plot speak to Ms. Pekkanen’s growth as a writer since her debut novel: The Opposite of Me. Fans of the writer and new readers alike will find themselves entranced by this latest work and waiting eagerly for the next.