The Divorce Papers is a novel by Susan Rieger about criminal law associate Sophie Diehl. Sophie is happy to represent criminals as it limits her face-to-face contact with clients (I totally get that), but is stuck doing intake on a big client's divorce case when all the partners are out of town. Having no experience in divorces and seeing this case as particularly nasty, Sophie wants nothing more to do with it. Against her will (and better judgement), Sophie is pressured by the client and her boss to stay on as lead attorney in the divorce case. As she works through the case, Sophie examines the complicated relationships in her own life and reevaluates whether she is truly happy.
I was partially drawn to this book because I am an attorney and the inner workings of a law firm are fascinating to me. However, I did not anticipate that I myself would be faced with the prospect of divorce when I selected this book. The irony is not lost on me. : ) These factors may have contributed to how much I enjoyed the book, but Sophie is a very likable character. She has a sarcastic, frantic nature that I relate to and she is genuinely concerned about doing a good job. This novel is written entirely in the form of emails, office memos, personal correspondence and legal documents, so if you really like a flowing narrative, you may have to get used to this style. Some of legal documents are a little tedious but the relevant portions are highlighted in gray. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a story about the nastiness of divorce, the struggles of a young lawyer or the story of a young woman figuring out her complicated relationships with parents, friends and co-workers.
I received this book for free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own.
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