If you’ve ever wondered why a woman would stay in an abusive marriage – and what would finally compel her to leave it – read Black and Blue by Anna Quindlen.

In this novel, an Oprah’s Book Club pick, Quindlen introduces Fran Benedetto, fleeing the familiarity of home, her work as a nurse, and regular beatings at the hands of her NYC cop husband, Bobby. Disappearing into the vastness of America, Fran takes with her their twelve year old son, Robert, and assumes a new identity as Beth Crenshaw in Florida. There, though freed from abuse, Beth faces new challenges – the making of friends; navigation of romance; ambivalence of her son; painful self-analysis; and daily fear of discovery and dread of what Bobby will do if he finds them.

Quindlen writes without embellishment, yet her straightforward account digs deep into Beth’s psyche. In Beth, we find a strong and sympathetic protagonist whose problems do not end when she leaves her abusive marriage. Quindlen includes a cast of well-rounded characters that allows a multi-faceted view of Beth’s situation: Cindy, the loyal new friend with a secret of her own; Grace, the fiercely protective younger sister left behind; Robert, the son bewildered by his feelings toward the father who loved him but who mistreated his mother; and Mike, the supremely kind man who waits patiently for Beth to return his love.

The pleasure of reading what otherwise might be a pretty grim novel springs from Quindlen’s clear prose, strong storylines, and her admirable restraint from moralizing. And though we’re not left with a purely happy ending, the author leaves that door cracked enough that we can hope happiness might someday walk in.