First You Try Everything: A Novel

Jane McCafferty

Jan 2012 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

An engrossing tale of a marriage that’s falling apart and a wife who will stop at nothing to keep it together.

From their early days in college, Evvie and Ben were drawn to each other by feelings of isolation stemming from their wounded childhoods, passionate idealism, and zeal for music. Sheltered by their love, they weathered the challenges and trials of the imperfect world around them. But as the years passed, they grew apart. Now Ben has his sights set on a completely different kind of future—alone, or with someone else.

Convinced that Ben cannot live without her, Evvie begins to unravel, as she obsessively devises ways to reclaim the love that she cannot let go of. She gambles on a spectacularly dangerous scheme, one that may ultimately have devastating consequences.

Jane McCafferty has written a highly original, utterly beguiling, and emotionally satisfying novel about marriage. Told from alternating viewpoints, this gripping, psychologically astute, and madcap novel illuminates the power of love to define and transform our lives, for better or for worse.

Ratings and reviews

There are books that are about sad or deep topics that make you think, but don't bring the mood down and then there are books that just quite bring the mood to the pits. This one is of the latter group. What a debbie downer that left me hoping that no one would compare me with Evvie and her crazy antics to get her estranged husband back. Evvie went to the ends of the earth to try to repair her marriage that was holding on by a string until the string broke. She went above and beyond, hence the title to try to get her husband back in their home and in love with her. I respect her ideas to try to repair, but she did some crazy things. I rarely read reviews of books before or during reading it, but this one made me stop and see if I was the only one that wasn't enjoying Evvie and her craziness. Maybe I am. Has anyone else read this? Am I alone in my thoughts?

hated it! zero sympathy for the lunatic moron that is evvie. She didn't try to fix her marriage.she did something illegeal and tried to justify it. Any of you who sympathize with her are nuts .And her pwrsonality is beyond annoying As ben hes a weak weak man...i had to force myself to finish it. Not impressed

About the author

Jane McCafferty is the author of the novel One Heart and two collections of stories, Thank You for the Music and Director of the World and Other Stories, which won the Drue Heinz Literature Prize. She is the recipient of an NEA award, the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s New Writers Award, and two Pushcart Prizes. She lives and works in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.