Claire has grown up without her father (and is better off for that considering he was a Nazi) raised by her mother in the Chicago projects. When she graduates school it is expected by her mother that she will immediately go to work and help with bills until she finds a husband, which her mother considers to be a top priority. Claire has other plans for herself more important than finding a man, and after landing a scholarship she sets off to pursue her dream. When she first meets Greg she is overwhelmed with the world he shows her. He is certainly everything her mother seems to want for her. It isn't long before Claire discovers that Greg has a far darker and more dangerous side than he presents to the public.
4 out of 5 stars
I received a complimentary copy for review. ( )

Alice Rene's The Other Side of Him is a realistic fiction romance which considers themes of finding oneself, coming of age, and portrays the complexity of life's challenges and human darkness.

It is clear that Rene is a talented author. The beginning of the novel offers a vivid depictions of poverty. The struggles are contrasted by a beautiful ending. Realistic Fiction fans will enjoy this book.

However, the gap of time between scenes left me wanting to know more about the main character's perspective, which focused on her experience of relationships with men for three quarters of the work. This, and the repetitive nature of the main character's experiences and observations made it difficult to care about her. I also found the work predictable and somewhat cliche.

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After one of my novels won a 2017 CIPA Evvy award, I thought it might be fun to read the other winners in the historical fiction category. The Other Side of Him by Alice Rene won one of the two first place awards. I loved the book!

In the beginning Rene's writing felt a little rushed, as it jumped among short glimpses of Claire's younger life, living with her brother and her poor, single, immigrant mother in a Chicago housing project. But after Claire moved to San Francisco, the novel settled into a careful study of her life, a young woman working first on a bachelor's degree then a master's degree in social welfare.

The novel is set in the 1950's, a time that presented a number of problems for women trying to establish careers and dealing with limiting expectations from society. Claire also faces family issues common to second generation Americans.

Claire's brother, Tom, moved to the San Francisco area before she did. After she had lived on the west coast for some time, Tom set her up with Greg, a man he met at a gym. Greg had many wonderful qualities, but also, as the title states, another side. The slow, careful way Greg's personality is revealed through Claire's point of view is the greatest strength of this wonderful, intense story. I couldn't put it down.

Steve Lindahl – author of Hopatcong Vision Quest, White Horse Regressions, and Motherless Soul ( )

Claire is a young woman with a dream. A dream to go to college and get a job of her very own. Growing up in Chicago with her older brother and her German mother in the 1950's have been hard and she wants more. When she hears her brother Tom will be moving to California, she uses her scholarship and goes to university in San Francisco. She enjoys her studies at the hospital and enjoys her time with Greg, a handsome surgeon and friend of her brother, until Greg starts to change and things start to happen.

See my complete review at The Eclectic Review ( )

Oh dear gawd ,SUSPENSE is not word-enough ( ( )