The Mermaid Chair

I've read The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd which was a fairly good read, exploring the "mid life crisis" and whether we need to follow a new direction. Louise is restless in her marriage when she is called to attend her childhood home to see to her mother who has mysteriously self-mutilated. Louise tries to discover the reason and how it is connected to the death of her father some 33 years before. Louise meets and falls in love with a monk at the local abbey who is also going through a transition in his own life. The truth about her father's death is finally revealed as she must also deal with her own future. Quite a good story, but I found the romance a bit "Mills & Boon" (not that I've ever read any of those books). It looks at an issue that may confront many of us at some point in our lives - do we throw away our past for an uncertain future, or do we remain in our comfort zone. 3 1/2/5