Reviewed by Jennifer Senick for Readers' Favorite
I was first drawn to Forgiveness by Susen Edwards because of its
cover. I wondered about whose belongings I saw there, and what
they had to do with forgiveness. I’m so glad I had the chance to
read Fiona’s journey. She felt like a real person. There were so
many moments when I hurt for Fiona, especially as she faced
heartbreaking decisions while her relationship was going through a
difficult time. In some ways, I could relate to the dynamic she had
with her mother. I appreciated how the novel spanned decades and
reached a period I had lived through as well. Edwards wrote in a
natural, thoughtful way that let the emotions build without rushing
them. It was easy to understand the shifting timeline, too. I closed
the book feeling as if I'd spent time with someone whose life
mattered. Anyone looking for women's fiction, family drama, and
character-driven stories about healing, forgiveness, and second
chances will want to give this book a try. It's a thoughtful,
emotional novel that stays with you long after you finish the last
page.
Reviewed by Alma Boucher for Readers’ Favorite
Forgiveness by Susen Edwards alternated between Fiona’s present and her past. The transitions between the past and present are smooth. I was hooked from the moment I started reading, and I could not put the book down until I finished. I learned so much about Fiona through reliving her past and had empathy for her. Fiona and Reuben were realistic and relatable. They went through so much in the past and still supported each other. The pacing allowed me to absorb every memory of Fiona's before moving on. The book was beautifully written and kept my attention throughout. The book was much more than I expected. I enjoyed reading this book, and it took me a while to come back to reality again.
From Jude Berman, author of The Vow, a Kirkus Best Indie Book
Told on a carefully crafted dual timeline, Forgiveness delves into the kinds of complexities and dynamics that can derail a long-term marriage. As Fiona unearths forgotten secrets and traumas, she feels the past shift beneath her feet and is forced to confront its shadows in the present. A captivating read for anyone who has struggled to make a partnership work and who enjoys an engrossing literary read.
Forgiveness has won the Literary Titan Silver Book Award!
[Forgiveness'] greatest strength is its sustained attention to an older woman examining her life with unusual candor. Fiona’s art provides a persuasive organizing metaphor, since each planned work requires her to transform an experience rather than simply remember it. Her reflections also give forgiveness a demanding definition. It involves recognizing responsibility, releasing blame for events beyond one’s control, and accepting that love can coexist with serious failures. The therapist’s observation that “We’re all human and fallible” becomes central to Fiona’s gradual willingness to extend compassion to her parents, Reuben, and herself. Edwards’s direct prose and conversational dialogue keep these ideas accessible, while Fiona’s self-questioning gives the narrative emotional continuity across its long time span.
The novel delves deep into Fiona’s feelings and historical circumstances, and its many flashbacks slow the momentum of the present-day plot. Yet the deliberate pace also suits a story about a woman sorting through half a century of experience. The later chapters deepen the marriage by allowing Fiona and Reuben to disclose what each has carried silently, making their reconciliation feel grounded in knowledge rather than sentiment alone. Forgiveness is an emotionally open account of aging, artistic self-examination, and a partnership that survives because its participants finally confront the full complexity of their shared past.
Here's a beautiful review from Meg McKinnon for The Book Commentary
Susen Edwards's spellbinding novel is deliberately paced, allowing Fiona’s memories to unfold across a middle act spanning 1971–1977. This pacing choice privileges reflection over momentum, but pays off when past and present converge on the Acela. The worldbuilding is meticulously researched—from Mark Satin's Manual for Draft-Age Immigrants to Canada and Carter's Proclamation 4483 to COVID-era masking protocols and the ‘Hang Mike Pence” chants of the January 6 Insurrection. Character work is spectacular. Fiona is that insecure young woman who “never learned how to say no” and the accomplished gallery owner masking her wounds behind a ‘fake it till you make it” persona, silently carrying guilt over Jerry, her abortion, and her lost family for fifty years. Reuben is equally layered: the principled idealist who fled the draft is also the stubborn partner whose agenda-driven life helped fracture their bond, and his concealed decades-long knowledge of Fiona’s secret exposes a private guilt equal to hers. Through these interlocking timelines, Forgiveness examines forgiveness not as a single act but as a lifelong practice—extended to parents, lovers, and nations, but most crucially to oneself. It is, in turns, heartwarming and resonant, and the superior storytelling makes the characters and the tangled plot even more rewarding.
Reviewed by Jamie Michele for Readers' Favorite
Susen Edwards’s Forgiveness is a lovely contemporary women’s
novel, and the author is very good at letting readers into the most
intimate parts of a marriage and its fifty years of history. The best
part for me is that Fiona is a true creative. She's an artist, and I love
that her forgiveness paintings give her a way to answer grief in the
language she knows best. Fiona’s gallery partnership with Julie is
beautifully done because Bleecker Street Impressions shows her as
a painter with an independent life before the forgiveness series
begins. Charlie Kraus, the young reporter who helps Reuben after
the Capitol riot, is wonderful because his bond with Reuben in the
hospital pulls in an unexpected familial tenderness. Fiona and
Reuben’s most honest conversation is really special, and all the way
through we are rooting for Fiona's art and marriage to finally belong
together. Well written and compassionate, readers who enjoy
women’s fiction about marriage will adore this.
From Vivian Fransen, author of The Straight Spouse: A Memoir
This intriguing story takes the reader on a journey through the peaks and valleys of a woman’s personal wilderness of drama, sorrow, and discontent. She struggles to find a way to move forward, yearning for the healing power of forgiving others and herself while embracing her passion for artistic pursuits.