Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven? by Erica Orloff

Do They Wear High Heels in Heaven? by Erica Orloff
Chick Lit

Lily is a single mother of two, ex-wife to the "spawn of the devil" who, while she was in labour with her second child, cheated on her with someone on 10 years older than their daughter. However, Lily has Michael, her best friend of 20 years, and a gay man. Michael is close to Lily's children and does a lot of with the family. He's had his own struggles, coming out of the closet and having to give up a career in baseball because he was beaten close to death for being gay.

Lily writes a column in the paper and her boss tells her she should go get a mammogram and write a story about it to bring awareness to the community. When Lily finds a lump in her breast however, she starts to get worried. It turns out to be cancer and Lily must start to look at life in a new light for fear that she might not be around for much longer.

While the end of this book was touching, I wasn't overly impressed. I felt like Orloff was trying way too hard to gain sympathy for Michael - having him be beat up to a bloody pulp, having his father not talk to him, having him give up his career. Was all that really necessary? Michael is a likable character without having to feel sorry for him too. More than a couple of times I felt like saying "I get it! He's had a tough life! Move on!", and this detracted from the main story of Lily and her cancer.

First Line: "My phone rang, and I reached a hand out into the blackness and fumbled for the receiver."

Rating:

(3.5/5)