Imperfect Lives, C. J. Washington
Imperfect Lives, C. J. Washington
List: $42.99 | Sale: $30.10
Club: $21.49

Imperfect Lives

Author: C. J. Washington

Narrator: Adenrele Ojo, Cary Hite, Megan Tusing

Unabridged: 10 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/05/2023


Synopsis

From the author of The Intangible comes a powerful story of double lives, hidden truths, and the desire to have the perfect life, no matter the price.When contract killer Cooper Franklin makes a deathbed confession, his revelations upend the lives of two strangers, setting them on an intersecting and ruinous path that imperils them both.Widow and single mom Tamara Foster must reckon with the mystery of her late husband’s death and the secrets he left behind. As she digs deeper into his past to discover that she never truly knew him at all, her carefully reconstructed world begins to crumble all over again.Cindy Fremont has worked hard for the perfect life, and she’s working even harder to keep it. So when Tamara shows up at her door seeking answers about her husband’s past, Cindy must reexamine the tracks she thought she’d carefully covered.As the two women scramble to keep their lives together in the wake of Cooper’s confession, they soon realize that no matter how deeply the past is buried, it can always come back to find you.

About C. J. Washington

C. J. Washington is a data scientist and writer. He has a master’s degree in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology and lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with his wife and daughter.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Shelley's Book Nook on September 04, 2023

My Reviews Can Also Be Found On: The Storygraph and The Book Review Crew Blog It took me a little bit to keep all the characters straight but once it was revealed how they are all connected this story grabbed me and wouldn't let me go. The plotline is quite dark but in a really good way. We get three......more

Goodreads review by Desiree on April 12, 2025

OVERVIEW: Well constructed. Definitely keeps your interest. A story of choices, of holding on, of trying to make your best life. A tale of looking back, of reconciling, and of the strange ways we are connected to others. The story starts with three separate families, your introduction to them, as you......more

Goodreads review by sun on June 07, 2023

thank you netgalley for this amazing arc! the book was confusing at first and turned out to be much darker and thrilling than i was expecting, but a good read nonetheless. even after reading the synopsis i had no idea what was going on and how the characters were related till around the 40% mark wher......more

Goodreads review by Laura on September 14, 2023

CJ Washington's "Imperfect Lives" is smooth and spare and satisfying. It starts out slow and quiet, with seemingly unrelated stories from 3 living POV characters, and they and their lives and backgrounds are so different that at first it was difficult to imagine how they might fit together. Little b......more

Goodreads review by Elizabeth on February 24, 2024

Quick drama read......more


Quotes

“Jointly, the narrators reveal people struggling to make room for present and future dreams while boxed in by their irrevocable histories. Hite voices this contradiction with aplomb as hitman-with-a-conscience Cooper Franklin. Tamara, a scientist questioning whether she ever truly knew her late husband and haunted by an earlier family tragedy, is voiced with credible intelligence by Ojo. Finally, as Cindy, whose past is the key to one of Cooper's kills, Tusing evokes sympathy for someone who just wants to put her imperfections behind her but can't. An entertaining drama that benefits from the use of multiple narrators, rendering separate plotlines distinct.” Library Journal“C. J. Washington’s Imperfect Lives is an absorbing, cleverly plotted literary thriller that reveals a shocking connection between two strangers after an artist–cum–hit man’s deathbed confession. Washington keeps masterful control of the psychological tension throughout the novel, twisting the narratives into a taut and unforgettable ending.” —Chris Cander, author of A Gracious Neighbor“A quiet study in how long of a shadow the unfinished business of the past can throw. Methodically, we see the lengths people go to maintain the appearance of a normal existence despite the truth being entirely different. The dialogue and step by step revelations of each character’s backstory drew me in. An engaging, provocative read.” —Colleen van Niekerk, author of A Conspiracy of Mothers