Be Mine [Paperback]

Laura Kasischke (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 2007

On Valentine’s Day, Sherry finds an anonymous note in her mailbox: be mine. As the notes continue, Sherry becomes more and more charged by the idea that she can inspire such feelings. Her twenty-year marriage is routine and she feels old, aimless, and empty now that her son is in college. When she discovers who her admirer is, she begins a wildly passionate affair with him. But soon events spiral out of Sherry’s control, threatening not only her marriage but also her son and her home. This deeply erotic thriller explores how little we know ourselves and those we live with, and what we risk when we allow passion to rule our lives.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It all starts with an anonymous Valentine's Day love note that Sherry Seymour, a Michigan community college English teacher and recent empty-nester, finds in her school mailbox. Mystified and flattered, Sherry lets her husband, Jon, in on the notes as they accumulate, resulting in a dramatic uptick in their sex life that advances in kinkiness after Sherry's son's friend tips off Sherry about the alleged identity of the note writer. An affair ensues, aided by Sherry's rental of an apartment near school (to avoid the commute between campus and the Seymour home in the country) and Jon's encouragement (her trysts excite him). But Sherry's life begins to spin out of control as she becomes more entangled with her possessive lover and learns who really wrote the notes. However, the tension Kasischke (The Life Before Her Eyes) cleverly builds throughout the narrative collapses at the book's climax, when Sherry and Jon are drawn into the aftermath of an accidental death. Save for the far-fetched ending, Kasischke has proven herself again to be a bold chronicler of dark obsession. (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

English teacher Sherry Seymour has been comfortably married for a long time, and now, like many emptynesters, is having difficulty adjusting to her only son being away at college. She drifts through the tedium of her days until she receives the note in her school mailbox that reads, "Be Mine." Sherry is intrigued. She has no idea who could have sent it, but the idea she has a secret admirer appeals to her. She's emotionally vulnerable, and as the notes become increasingly familiar, and as her husband discloses his fantasy that she should have an affair, Sherry determines to approach the fellow teacher she believes is courting her. So begins Sherry's spiral into dark and sensual delights as she risks everything: her family, her marriage, and herself. What makes this erotic thriller disturbing and, therefore, successful is how convincingly Kasischke renders Sherry's life and feelings so eerily normal and familiar, ensuring the unsettling portents are all but unnoticed until it is too late. Maria Hatton
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Mariner Books (December 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156033836
• ISBN-13: 978-0156033831
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,187,997 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Laura Kasischke teaches in the University of Michigan MFA program and the Residential College. She has published seven collections of poetry and seven novels. She lives with her family in Chelsea, Michigan.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WOW!!, February 8, 2007

By 

Mark H. (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Be Mine (Hardcover)

I bought this about an hour after reading the interesting USA TODAY article, and devoured it in two days. This book is so full of twists and surprises, you better not read it in public, because you'll be gasping every ten pages. That's one of the great things about it; the other is that Kasishke is one of the best writers around. The descriptions are dazzling. The description of the relationship between mother and son will be completely familiar to anyone who is a parent. This is, as others here say, very sexy and mysterious, but it's also meaningful, and layered. I highly recommend this book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars YES, WOW, March 9, 2007

By 

Samantha (Toronto) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Be Mine (Hardcover)

As others have said here, I was really blown away by the depth of this novel. The situation starts out very sexy but you really have to keep an open mind with what follows. I felt it was so edgy that it seemed really fresh. I can't remember anything like it except maybe Joyce Carol Oates.

More importantly, it kept me reading and guessing for the whole time I was reading it. I mean it's very nice that the writing is so strong and beautiful, as others have said here, but the story is also really amazing and memorable.

I don't read novels for great atmosphere, but this had both a lot of great imagery and landscape but a great storyline too. I recommend it to anyone.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Be Mine sparked intense discussion..., March 14, 2007

By 

L. C. Thomas (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Be Mine (Hardcover)

...at my book club. We've had some lively discussions about other novels, but "Be Mine" brought out some deeply felt and conflicting emotions, both about Sherry's actions in the novel and about our own family experiences. It was interesting to read other Amazon reviews, since our book group was firmly divided in its opinions about the novel along the same lines. Some of us could not look past Sherry's choice to have an affair; some of us felt empathy for Sherry's boredom and midlife issues. What surprised me was the strength of everyones' feelings and opinions! Rarely has a book gotten us so worked up! The novel's subject matter and characters certainly inspired strong emotions. In our case, discussion of the book segued into some emotional exploration of similar situations in some of our personal histories.

If you want a provocative book that will make you think and feel outside your comfort zone, I would highly recommend "Be Mine". Be prepared to get some blood with your roses!