****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
This inspirational book takes readers deep into the life of its main character, Bari Jordan, and in the process leads us to explore critical issues in our own lives: the repetitive and destructive nature of substance abuse and addictive relationships, the need for balance between the personal and professional, the unbreakable bonds of family and the fierce loyalty of friends.Drawing readers in immediately with a prologue filled with emotion and spirituality, the author captures our attention and never lets go. As the drama of the story builds, we find ourselves relating not only to the protagonist but to those who touch her life for better or for worse. This includes her husband, Earl, who is plagued by seemingly unslayable demons, as well as her mother, who offers unconditional love from near or far; her brother, protective in adulthood as well as in childhood; and her devoted sister, always there to provide support, even if it means forcing her to confront things she isn't quite ready to face (any readers with loving siblings who insist on "telling it like it is" will catch glimpses of themselves in this relationship!).Denine uses clever turns of phrase to keep the book consistently entertaining--in describing Bari as a young girl, for instance, she writes: "If her head wasn't buried in her books, it was buried in the sand." She also twists the plot so intriguingly we're never quite sure until the final pages how things will end up for Bari and the other characters we come to know and love.Ultimately, deceipt, abandonment, self-doubt and loss of faith prove to be some of the truest themes--and most enduring lessons--of this page-turner: Once we finally accept certain harsh realities, do we fall victim to them or do we emerge stronger, more hopeful, and motivated to help others engaged in similar struggles? In Whatever Gets You Through the Night, that choice is Bari Jordan's. In real life, it is ours.
