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May 11, 2005
BOOK REVIEW: 'Evidence of Love' Depicts Love, Politics in White House Setting
Reviewed by David M. Kinchen
Hinton News Network Book Critic
Hinton (HNN) —Don't be fooled by the cover photo of "Evidence of Love"
(Harvest Books, Harcourt/Harvest Original, 307 pages, $14). This first novel
by Melissa McConnell is a stunning evocation of life and love in the fast
lane of politics in Washington, D.C. It's also a fine suspense novel that
evokes Ruth Rendell or Patricia Highsmith to this fan of both writers.
The cover shows an empty – except for a wooden hanger – closet, symbolizing
the departure of Catherine Porter's fiancé Harry Bellum. As I said, don't be
fooled: this is not a "romance" novel, as the illustration might signify.
Their apartment is on Swann Street in trendy Dupont Circle, convenient to
the White House where the two work. Harry is a special adviser to the
President, while Catherine is a speechwriter for the Vice President. This is
indeed a power couple.
They had a cute meet in New York City's Greenwich Village one rainy day in
May, where Harry was an assistant professor of American history at New York
University. They soon became lovers and take every opportunity to explore
New York. McConnell's description of their life together in New York will
make anyone who has ever explored that wonderful city homesick for the
incredible wealth of places to go and things to do in Manhattan and the
other boroughs. They move to Washington, D.C., after the secretive Harry is
hired by the President. First Lady Claire Wallace had been Harry's doctoral
adviser at Stanford and thought so highly of him that she recommended his
hiring by the President.
Catherine is no slouch herself in the intelligence department, but she can't
get a definite answer from Harry as to what exactly he does. He doesn't
even tell her much about his background, other than that he studied at
Stanford. His hours at work get longer and longer and he's often away on
trips that keeps them apart for long periods of time. Then she gets a
message in the form of a note he leaves that appears to indicate that Harry
is leaving her:
"Catherine, I will be gone on business…I will not be coming back here
afterward. We will talk, of course, but you cannot change my mind on this…I
am very sorry. Harry."
Catherine continues to work, of course, but the departure of Harry is
noticed by her co-workers and by her boss, the Vice President. He's a
widower and is clearly attracted to the attractive young speechwriter.
Told in flashbacks with a narrative of present day events, "Evidence of
Love" moves relentlessly to a surprise conclusion, which I won't reveal. I
recently read a review of a book that told so much of the book's plot that I
felt I didn't need to read the actual book!
This is definitely not my approach. Read "Evidence of Love" for yourself and
experience a book that pays loving tribute to both Washington, where the
author grew up, and New York City, where she worked as a publicist for The
New Yorker and for Vanity Fair.
Publisher web site: http://www.harcourtbooks.com.
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