Review: Perfectly Broken by Robert Burke Warren

Grant Kelly, former rock star, now spends his days as a stay-at-home father for his four-year-old son, Evan.  He and his wife Beth have recently moved from the hustle and bustle of New York City to the quaint small-town life in the Catskills.  His happiness, however, is hindered by his past.  From discovering his father's body when he was just a child himself to nearly losing his own child at the hands of a crazed homeless person, Grant's life has been riddled with tragedy and terror.

Needless to say, Grant's life isn't at all what he expected.  Though he left the rock star life, his friend Paul's success is a constant reminder of what could have been.  His recent reflections on the choices he's made has forced Grant into a neurotic, depressive funk (not aided by the fact he's off his meds) and already existing strains in his marriage intensify.  It's not until a tragedy forces him to make an abrupt and spur of the moment decision that Grant is able to see through all the fog and confusion and see that his life may not, in fact, be broken.

On occasion, I take risks with books. Sometimes those risks pan out,  yet oftentimes they are complete failures.  I’m delighted that, in this case, it was a true success.  Though this was completely outside my normal comfort zone, it was a risk worth taken.

At first, I was worried that this was one of those cliche “former rockstar turned Dad” types of novels.   There’s nothing cliche about this one.  Written obviously with a lot of personal insight and knowledge, this novel is a heartfelt examination of the frailty of human life, of love and of loss, of marriage and family.

Grant isn’t a character that I would have necessarily bonded with in any other book.  He’s riddled with issues, from PTSD to depression. He’s no longer on medicine that would have regulated his moods and is going through a breakdown of sorts.  Sounds like a hot mess, right? Yet, the author is able to pull it off, transforming him into a completely sympathetic character, desperate to find some meaning in his life. There is no sugar-coating in this novel, everything about it is gritty and real.

There clearly a homage to rock and roll in this title, obviously due to the author’s previous life as a musician himself.  Rather detracting from the main storyline, it instead was a well-executed means of relaying the main character’s past and his struggles with his current life.   Once he cuts (or perhaps, restrings) ties to his former life and looks forward to the future, can he see that the tragedies he faced earlier in life were stepping stones for a happy and successful future.

All in all, a completely rewarding read. Recommended.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for the opportunity to participate in this tour.