Because I Loved You

March 1, 2023
A lifelong love story--with obstacles--moves from 1970s Texas to present-day New York City. In this debut novel, two Texas farm kids with big dreams fall in love as teens, split up, reconnect as adults, break up again, and finally come together at a crucial moment. Aspiring artist Leni O'Hare meets Cal McGrath when she impulsively runs away from home after her mother tries to sell her beloved horse, Foggy. Cal has a contentious relationship with his father, a self-made businessman who wants his son to take over the ranching and oil drilling instead of going to college to study physics. The teen knows Leni as the younger sister of his football teammate Foy O'Hare. But Cal quickly connects with Leni, and they swiftly fall for each other. When Foy dies from heat exhaustion at football practice, Cal and Leni are both devastated. Their relationship suffers ups and downs as they deal with their grief, and they are soon making plans to leave Texas together to pursue their passions for physics and art. When Leni gets pregnant, she keeps it a secret from Cal and flees her home with the help of his older brother, Hank, before giving the baby up for adoption. A decade later, Leni and Cal are both in New York, working in art and finance, when their paths cross again. Their romance quickly reignites. A disagreement drives them apart again, and they spend the next 30 years pursuing their own paths until a sudden reconciliation occurs. The story is a compelling one, with Leni and Cal's relationship at its core. The two come across as fully realized characters, not just star-crossed lovers. Brown brings both the Texas and New York settings to life, and complex secondary characters, especially Foy and Hank, add to the novel's richness. There are minor stylistic problems (particularly the odd phonetic rendering of several French accents) but they do not detract much from the character-driven narrative. The book explores questions of independence, responsibility, family, and authenticity while telling a page-turning story that will keep readers invested. A compelling relationship tale that explores two lives over a half-century.

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