A book with a tagline – “She thought he was dead. She made a new life. Then he came back”. Is bound to capture people’s attention and it did mine along with the fact that I enjoy this author’s writing.
A successful family, Alice is a GP, Ben a successful surgeon, they have two children Jools with raging hormones and a distinct lack of interest in homework and Holly who has an interest in everything especially with numbers and a phenomenal brain for absorbing knowledge and asking questions.
Alice is trying to juggle career and family life, helping her daughters. She opted for the GP route to be with her family. Ben on the other hand sweeps into the family and seems to just undo all the hard work of Alice as she tries to parent the girls.
Trouble is Ben is unsatisfied with his life. To anyone else he has it all, to Ben he has a need for something else. Some men have affairs. But Ben chooses a different option.
One that takes him away from his family. Takes him to another continent and then as one devastating phone call back to Alice and the girls away from them completely.
Alice and the girls world breaks down.
But slowly the pieces start to reform with a life without Ben.
Then Ben returns.
Can a family that has moved on rebuild itself from the moment Ben left? Or does it have to go back to the very beginning.
The storyline is strong and the author has certainly done plenty of research, I do wonder whether she ever actually spoke to anyone in a similar situation? I am not sure whether I liked the outcome and whether it was the ‘right’ one. Then again I think there is no one right answer to any of the situations that arose in the book.
Sinead Moriarty has the ability to tell a cracking good tale, with bittersweet moments, hilarity and romance as well as keeping this book very much of its time, especially the two daughters.
Strong female fiction from a strong female author.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for allowing me to read this book.
The Book Jotter 