The Fragile World

A Novel

By: Paula Treick DeBoard

Narrated by: Jessica Almasy, Will Damron

From the author of publishing sensation The Mourning Hours comes a powerful new novel that explores every parent’s worst nightmare...

The Kaufmans have always considered themselves a normal, happy family. Curtis is a physics teacher at a local high school. His wife, Kathleen, restores furniture for upscale boutiques. Daniel is away at college on a prestigious music scholarship, and 12-year-old Olivia is a happy-go-lucky kid whose biggest concern is passing her next math test.

And then comes the middle-of-the-night phone call that changes everything. Daniel has been killed in what the police are calling a "freak" road accident, and the remaining Kaufmans are left to flounder in their grief.

The anguish of Daniel's death is isolating, and it's not long before this once-perfect family finds itself falling apart. As time passes and the wound refuses to heal, Curtis becomes obsessed with the idea of revenge, a growing mania that leads him to pack up his life and his anxious teenage daughter and set out on a collision course to right a wrong.

An emotionally charged novel, The Fragile World is a journey through America's heartland and a family's brightest and darkest moments, exploring the devastating pain of losing a child and the beauty of finding healing in unexpected ways.

©2014 Paula Treick DeBoard (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"A heart-stopping series of events drives The Fragile World.... The result is a gripping read, but one that delivers, by the book's end, a beautiful reminder of the resilience of love." (Karen Brown, author of The Longings of Wayward Girls)

A fragile excursion of Self-discovery

Would you consider the audio edition of The Fragile World to be better than the print version?

Not really. The narrators were good, but did not elevate this audiobook to epic status

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the growth of the characters. The things that bound them together ultimately tore them apart. But they grew over the course of the book, growing and stretching and expanding their horizons and their ideas about each other and about Daniel's death.

Any additional comments?

I liked this book a lot! Books where characters grow and change make me happy to be a reader. I didn't see the end coming!

I think I prefer DeBoard's other novel, "The Morning Hours", but this book is a great literary work.

Only interesting

I was disappointed. Frequently expecting some deep revelation, finding predictability. Ending a little suprising, but not seriously eventful. Good narration.

Amazing hyperactive paranoid teenager!

I had a hard time at first but the alternating dad with the paranoid teen was fantastic!

Entertaining but a sad story

Very strong story and performance but found the storyline sad. This is not a lighthearted "beach read", but entertaining none the less.

Great performance

This was a pleasant read from start to finish. The readers were very captivating! The characters were simple and special.