Love Maps

A heartbreaking act of violence destroys the two relationships one woman holds most dear in this powerfully written second novel from Factor (The Mercury Fountain). Sarah Marker was an artist on the cusp of recognition, and deeply in love, when her life took a shocking turn. Eight years later she is a struggling, solitary single mother teaching at a small private school in Connecticut, with her canvases, paints, and brushes gathering dust in a dank basement. How she got there%E2%80%94and why the arrival of a letter from her long-estranged husband pushes her first into an emotionally charged reverie and then a panic-fueled plan to flee her home%E2%80%94is slowly, tantalizingly revealed by Factor, who flips the action between 1980s New York Cityand Sarah's present day in 1997. Overshadowed by her emotionally manipulative sister and their peripatetic upbringing, Sarah undertakes a cautious search for love and identity. Factor reveals this arresting tale through solid character development and a well-paced narrative. From its tense opening chapter to its memorable conclusion, this is a read-in-one-sitting trip. (May)