Deeper by Robin York

deeperNarrated by Mike Chamberlain, Lynde Houck

Robin York is a very talented author of new adult contemporary fiction (and she is also the New York Times bestselling romance author Ruthie Knox, with a new pen-name and a new genre). York is not afraid to tackle challenging subjects or conflicted protagonists; the underpinning of her plot in Deeper relates to “revenge porn” (the “dissemination of media of a sexual nature— think sex videos, nude selfies, or photographs of a couple engaged in sexual acts — without the consent of the photographed”). Don’t let this serious topic scare you away from what is a gripping book; as always, this author tells an enthralling story.

Caroline Piasecki, the youngest daughter of a successful judge, has been happy exceeding expectations as the “good girl”. Her world was firmly in her control and she was well on her way towards her goal of following in her father’s footsteps as a lawyer, until her rejected ex-boyfriend posts private intimate pictures online, and her life becomes an endurance mud marathon.

Sometimes I hate the girl I was back then. It’s like how when you see a horror movie; you can’t help but feel contempt for the virgin who goes for a walk in the woods after midnight. How can she be so stupid? Doesn’t she know she’s about to get gruesomely hacked to death? She should know. That’s why it’s so hard to watch; because you want her to know. She should know. You want her to defend herself. And you look down on her for not knowing, even though obviously, it’s the guy who hacks her up who’s at fault.

Caroline is trudging through life at college when she literally runs into the brick wall that is West Leavitt her first day at college orientation. She notices many things: his beat-up car, his camping gear, his Dinty Moore beef stew cans, his box of condoms and his bad boy body and demeanor. She is fascinated. Her over-stressed body gives out, and Caroline faints at his feet. Her protective father forbids any further contact with West. As events with her jerk of an ex-boyfriend Nate play out, a wounded Caroline turns to West as a silent, non-judgmental escape. He is not sharing his own impoverished background; he has his own secrets (and family) to protect, so Caroline feels no pressure. No pressure to acknowledge their growing non-friendship. No pressure to push the boundaries of their mutual denial. And yet somehow, they both grow despite themselves.

I am beginning to be a big fan of two-narrator teams, especially when the author alternates between two POVs. Lynde Houck immediately became the voice of Caroline; her flow was very natural and she believably expressed the emotions of an emotionally battered woman. Her voice expresses the romantic and erotic emotions better than many narrators.

Mike Chamberlain does a good job with the emotions and changing voices of the West character, but his delivery doesn’t quite reach the fluid level that Houck displays. He had one mannerism that lowered my impression of his narration; he paused a fractional second between sentences, so that made me think of him as a reader of a story, and not the embodiment of a character. This perception never went away. I really liked his ownership of the “edgy” West, whose remote attitude protects his heart with as much dedication as he protects his mother and little sister. He also does a good job of the voice of his mom and sister (he must have a little sister; he nails those irritating interchanges perfectly).

While this book doesn’t exactly end with a cliff-hanger, it isn’t precisely a neatly wrapped package of a happily-ever-after. There is a second book (Harder) that further explores their relationship. I was happy to have read Deeper and eager for the next volume.

Ruthie Knox (Robin York) has been interviewed several times recently because of the high-visibility court cases reaching press attention on the topic of revenge porn. Her unflinching portrayal of the impact of this kind of betrayal is, unfortunately, timely and will help personalize the issue. She has a special place for this novel and in a 2014 USAToday interview, she says, “I think this is the first thing I’ve ever written where I really felt no brakes whatsoever on what I could depict. What mattered was the story — the characters. So I dug deep into everything, and I just let myself write it. I think the result is a story with a lot more emotional depth than anything I’ve written before. The romantic parts are more romantic. The sexy parts are sexier. The uplifting parts just kill. But oh, goodness, the sad parts are sad… This is a romance, but it’s a much larger story, as well, about two people who need to come into themselves in order to be ready to love each other.”

Victoria


Narration: Lynde Houck – A, Mike Chamberlain – C

Book Content: A

Steam Factor: Glad I had my earbuds in

Violence: Domestic violence

Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance

Publisher: Random House Audio

 

Deeper was provided to AudioGals by Random House Audio for review.

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