"Rescue" Rescues and Absorbs an Exhausted Me

I wrote on 2/8/10 about "middlebrow" novels that are somewhere between serious literary fiction, on the one hand, and genre fiction/beach reads on the other. Anita Shreve is one of the masters of this type of novel; I have just read her most recent one, "Rescue" (Little, Brown, 2010), in one big gulp (perhaps 3-4 hours of almost nonstop reading). It was the perfect book for me after finishing an exhausting first week of classes, advising, and other beginning-of-the-semester duties: it grabbed and kept my attention, it "went down easy," and it distracted and refreshed me without making any demands whatsoever. It has all the qualities of most middlebrow fiction: a straightforward, easy-to-follow and somewhat dramatic (sometimes melodramatic) plot, with a couple of big crises; a likable main character; somewhat formulaic language; predictable plot turns; heart-tugging scenes; and a satisfying conclusion. I do not mean to imply that creating such fiction is easy; I know it is not. And, as I said in my 2/8/10 post, I am grateful for authors such as Shreve who have provided me reliable reading pleasure over the years. Oh, and as to what actually happens in the novel? Boy meets girl in unusual circumstances, they are very happy for a while, they have a beautiful baby girl, their serious problems separate them, boy steps up and raises the daughter into her teenage years...and then...well, I don't want to give away too much, but let's say there are some tough times but it all works out....