HEART OF THE MATTER (Emily Giffin)

The most interesting thing about Giffin's latest is the characters.  The premise is not new:  seemingly happliy married man meets vulnerable yet capable woman and finds himself falling in love.  In this case the married man is plastic surgeon Nick Russo.  The story is told alternately between Nick's wife, Tessa, who questions her decision to leave her professorship to become a full-time mom, and Valerie, an attorney and single mother whose son, Charlie, is burned in an accident.  I am not sure why Nick would allow himself to cross the line between friendship and love when there are no obvious problems in his marriage.  I don't think that Tessa questioning her abilities as a mother would be enough to drive her husband into the arms of another women.  Nonetheless, I enjoyed the development of the relationship between Nick and Valerie and Nick and Charlie, Valerie's son.  The alternating points of view are done well.  This may not be Giffin's best, but I liked it.