I read and became engrossed in Trope's first book 'The boy under the table' and could not put it down. This one was the same. What a gift she has for giving us the voices of her characters. This is a character driven story. It is the story of Liz and Alex who marry with great hopes for a wonderful life together. All goes well for a while until Alex becomes violent on many occasions and Liz realises that things have gone too far, that the marriage is broken and cannot be mended. She leaves with her son Luke and goes back to live with her mother. Alex on the other hand is still convinced that they will get back together.
The day comes when Alex is late bringing Luke back. Alex has always been such a punctual person that as time goes by Liz becomes extremely worried and calls in the police. The tension builds and builds to a heartbreaking climax.
Alex's character is wonderfully drawn. The cycle is so well described. The tension builds and builds within him, some little thing causes him to snap and he becomes violent. He is then filled with great remorse and goes over the top to try and make ammends and this happens again and again. Liz is aware of the cycles, the triggers that set him off and for her it is like walking on egg shells and she gets to the point where she cannot stand it anymore. Alex on the other hand thinks she should just forgive him and carry on. It is such a vivid and believable picture. It is when Alex realises that they are not going to ever get back together that things take a turn for the worse. I could not really feel much empathy for Alex. I know that he was portrayed as having a difficult childhood but ..... Liz's voice is also effectively portayed. Along with these two main characters we have the minor characters, the parents, the women from Liz's support group and the police. It is a beautifully written and heartbreaking story. She is a gifted story teller and I look forward to her next book. ( )

Three Hours Late is the second heart wrenching novel by author Nicole Trope. Having been blown away by her debut, The Boy Under the Table, I had high expectations for this follow up and I wasn't disappointed.

After Liz hugs her toddler son goodbye and watches him leave with her estranged husband for an access visit, she leans against the door and berates herself for her weaknesses. Despite finding the courage to leave her volatile husband, Liz is still reluctant to let go of the man he can be when not hurling demands, insults and punches at her. Standing there, she resolves to be stronger, when Alex returns Luke at 2 o'clock they will talk and Liz will make sure he understands their marriage is over. But Alex is late and as Liz frantically watches the time pass she begins to wonder just how far Alex will go to punish her.

I read Three Hours Late with a breathless sense of anticipation. From the moment Alex fails to return with Luke on time, the tension is unbearable as the minutes tick by.

It's with keen insight and compassion that Trope unravels the thought process of an abused woman, laying bare Liz's battered psyche to reveal the history of her marriage and her confusion and shame about its collapse. Though it may be politically incorrect, I have to admit my sympathy for Liz was tempered by my frustration with many of the choices she makes. Intellectually I understand how the dynamic of domestic violence develops but at the same time it is incomprehensible to me that women allow the cycle to repeat ad nauseum.

Incredibly, I actually developed some sense of empathy for Alex. His background reveals his actions perpetuate the cycle of misogyny and domestic violence that destroyed his own parents marriage. Yet Alex's breathtaking lack of self awareness is both pitiable and infuriating. I think Trope is brave to give Alex a voice that brings some balance the horror of the situation, it is more comfortable to believe Alex is a monster than simply a troubled man drowning in emotional pain.

The narrative is also shared by members of Liz's family, members of her domestic violence support group and the police who provide different perspectives on the issues that contribute to and perpetuate domestic violence, and its distressing consequences.

Three Hours Late is a compelling and confronting novel, probing an emotive issue with sensitivity. Though a novel skewed towards an adult audience, I think this should be compulsory reading for mature teens who could benefit enormously from Liz's hindsight. I found Three Hours Late impossible to put down and I recommend it without hesitation. ( )