“The Rumor” by Elin Hilderbrand – The Ruin of Words

Ever since most of us were young we were taught not to stick our noses in other people's affairs, not to jump to conclusions, make assumptions based on appearances... basically, we were taught not to gossip.

 However, we knew way better than to let those lessons get to us... whether we do it for the mere pleasure of this type of voyeurism or to convince ourselves we have it pretty well, there is no denying: gossip is fun.

Of course, there are always those who take things too far and turn gossip, which is generally harmless, into an unforgiving tool of ostracizing punishment... and that's when it has the power to take it all away.

Elin Hilderbrand explores just how powerful gossip can be in her novel The Rumor, where we are told the story of two best friends, Madeline King and Grance Pancik. On the surface, all who know them are jealous of idyllic perfection they've managed to achieve; perfect marriages, lovely children, engaging careers, double dates, parties, cocktails... in short, they're living the life.

However, rumors start spreading around that there may be some trouble in paradise. Madeline seems to be unable to overcome her writer's block with the bills piling up. Grace seems to pay a bit too much attention to the landscape architect working on her garden, while her husband has taken on a somewhat strange and unusual project.

And without forgetting the children, the textbook romance between Madeline and Grace's children, Brick and Allegra, might be teetering on the brink of annihilation. And of course, that's only the start, with rumors only growing, expanding, swallowing and threatening all they've built until this day.

So what exactly can you expect from this book that seems so lighthearted on one hand, and yet touches on the fickleness of the lives we carefully build for ourselves? Well, for the most part it really keeps an upbeat and humorous approach to everything, trying to pull the laughs out of virtually any situation... and the worse things are, the bigger the comedy.

For the most part I find that this approach works well and keeps things from becoming unnecessarily dark... but on the other, a number of the jokes felt a bit forced and basically fell flat.

These cringe-worthy moments happen from time to time, but don't get the wrong idea... they don't litter the pages. Most of the time you are going to be smiling, if not outright laughing.

As you'd expect, there is also some food for thought to be found in here, though it is veiled in all the comedy and humour. Somewhere in there are strong statements about how gossip can either be a tool of destruction or cleansing, how much we love getting in other people's business, and just how fragile our worlds are, despite the illusions we attempt to make for ourselves. Though this is by no means a philosophy book, you won't feel empty-headed upon finishing it.

The story itself is quite simple and easy to follow, with a language to match. There is a heavy focus on the characters and the inner workings of their minds, how they cope and deal with all the ridiculousness surrounding them.

The protagonists are, for the most part, pleasant to follow and have interesting dynamics with the secondary characters. You'll find that even the people you see for a few pages have at least some kind of depth to them, helping to make the whole thing feel believable and more realistic.

All in all, The Rumor is a rather good book for what it does, and even though there are some flaws to it, they are all of a more minor nature, are spread far and few in-between, and masked by the many other qualities found within.

I recommend it to those looking for a light and funny read with a bit of food for thought.

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Elin Hilderbrand Personal site Elin Hilderbrand is an American writer who specializes in romance novels, best read on the beach during summer and mostly set around Nantucked Island. Some of her better-known books include A Summer Affair, The Island and Beautiful Day.