If I Can't Have You: A Compulsive, Darkly Funny Story of Heartbreak and Obsession

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This isn't about this book per se but I wanted to include a little note mostly for friends who may read this but also for anyone else who cares. Lasseter outlined the Adriana Vasco case from the book Deadly Mistress by Michael Fleeman (very good book by the way.) This was talked about as an example of Conway's skills as a prosecutor. Then Josh had decided to take the boys camping. Susan didn't want to go. He'd "gotten a late start" and left after midnight. Despite the warnings of cold, snow, and ice, Josh said he, Charlie, and Braden had gone to Simpson Springs, about two hours southwest of Salt Lake City, elevation 5,100 feet. They had slept in the car, tried out a new electric generator for heat, and taken firewood with them so they could make s'mores. They made them, but without the chocolate. He'd forgotten that ingredient. In addition to television and radio appearances, the award-winning author has been featured in Redbook, USA Today, People, Salon magazine, Seattle Times, Los Angeles Times and the New York Post. WOW! It's been two days since I finished this book, and I am still feeling a huge book hangover. I love books centered around love and obsession and I just found my favorite one.

Brilliant. A perfect and completely terrifying depiction of heartbreak and obsession' – Sarah Powell Upstairs in thirty-year-old Johnny Powell's bedroom, a carefully coiled rope noose hung on the wall along with disturbing renderings of a woman with a knife running through her vagina and exiting her stomach. Johnny, whom his father and sister Alina considered an artist, had a history of mental troubles. The pace is rather slow and I was missing some more action, but on the other hand I found it to be a high-quality- and fluent read, very beautifully written, with touching words. EM: What do you think? I mean we've talked quite a bit. What are you thinking? You thinking, where do you think she's … you think she's at a friend's house, think she's okay? The story is appalling; this book is merely competent. A young Utah wife and mother is declared missing while her hot-headed husband and two sweet sons are out on an unusual winter camping trip. To the consternation of her family, the husband refuses to cooperate with the police.Down the street from the Powells', Kiirsi Hellewell sat at her computer in a downstairs playroom filled with crafts and toys that shouted to the world she was a mother—and a busy one at that. Surrounded by her children's photos, she went onto Facebook to see what, if anything, anyone had reported about the Powells. EM: Okay, so help me try to figure out. I don't live with you. I don't live with her, okay. You guys have been together for what, seven years? If I Can't Have You” by Charlotte Levin is an all-consuming novel about loneliness, obsession and how far we go for the ones we love. It works to set the record straight and refute the shameful and disgraceful lies that the Powell family tried to perpetuate for so long. And, therefore, Charlie and Braden, ages four and two, respectively, had been attending Debbie's day care for a year and a half, and like many women who had met the outgoing Susan, Debbie had become a confidante. Susan and her circle of friends were young, committed Mormon wives. Their children and their marriages came first. The friends had heard, because Susan told them, that Josh wouldn't give her money to buy groceries and diapers, wouldn't have sex with her, and wouldn't go to counseling. One friend joked that Josh treated his pet parrot better than his wife and sons. Susan also voiced displeasure that he was spending too many hours on the phone talking with his father, who had left the Mormon church. Steve Powell, Susan told her friends, had been inappropriate with her—disgustingly so. Susan was so open with her complaints that her friends were feeling a bit apathetic. They'd heard it all so many times.

That night, Jennifer Graves woke up in a panic. The phone was ringing. She knew it was Susan. Jennifer groped wildly for the phone by the bed, struggling to get to it in time to talk to Susan, find out where she was, and get her home. As she became more awake, Jennifer realized that the phone hadn't rung. It was a dream. This psychological thriller is written as a fascinating and detailed letter, from Constance to Samuel, and SO hard to put down. The story is a mixture of “Fatal Attraction” and “Gone Girl” and works perfectly. I couldn’t help but root for “Team Constance”, even if she was a bit psycho. The more I read about her, the more I sympathized with her and tried to understand her actions. Parts of the story were so dark, these are what I enjoyed the most but at the same time made me angry with certain characters. This behaviour of manipulation happens around us every day, and it is captured so well here in Constances' story. If I Can’t Have You is Charlotte Levin’s superb debut novel and is part thriller and part human interest story which is a smart and heart-breaking read. It poses the question: how far would you be willing to go for the one you love? Something did come, however, a little later that evening in the form of a phone call. It made her heart beat faster, her stomach turn somersaults.It was Ernest Hemingway who once encouraged writers to begin with “one true sentence”. There are many such sentences in Charlotte Levin’s debut “If I Can’t Have You”, but this is her first: “Everyone stared.” Simple, effective, true, because, above all, this is a novel not about looking but rather, about the desire to be seen. This book scared me, but not for the reasons one might think. Susan Powell went missing. She left behind two young sons and her husband, who as this book carefully lays out is most likely responsible for her murder. Two years later, a still free but under investigation Josh, murders his sons then kills himself. As horrific as all this is - and it is gut wrenchingly horrific - a man killing his family and himself is common enough that it isn't in your face scary. What is scary is how much evidence the police had that Josh and possibly some of his relatives (father, brother, sister?) were responsible for Susan's disappearance/murder yet didn't arrest him. Lots of evidence. Yes, most was circumstantial as her body has never been found, but so much that it just doesn't make sense why he was never charged leaving him free to kill his children. Scary rage in 3...2...1... They say if you love something let it go… I won’t be doing that. Not now. Not Ever. You made me happy and then you left me - If you love someone NEVER let them go. That’s why for me this is just the beginning, I know you will understand and be happy with me again soon. Kiirsi then phoned the Relief Society president—the head of their ward's women's group—and the two of them joined Jennifer at the Powell house and talked to the police.