Joe Lakota dumped his hometown fiance Marilee and broke her heart when he made it big in football -- or at least, that's what everyone believes. Only Joe and Marilee know the truth -- that she told him she didn't love him any more and broke his heart. Years later, Joe is injured, his career and marriage are over, and he has a traumatized young son to care for, so he heads back home… only to find a very troubled Marilee, and discover that she had awful and painful reasons for breaking off with him.I don't have much patience with the "fearful heroine who has to be wooed to love sex" trope, and I was particularly impatient with this heroine at first, for seeming so adamant about refusing any kind of help. And I was somewhat aghast that she pondered donor insemination and single motherhood without giving any consideration to her serious mental health issues. As the story progressed though, it became clear we were only seeing the tip of the iceberg of what had happened to Marilee, and I got sucked into the drama and horror of it all.
