A moving exploration of love, loss, grieving and hope.
Make sure you have plenty of time to devote to this story because it’s unlikely you’ll want to put it down once you start! It would be so easy to assume that it is going to be an easy, and probably rather humorous, romantic read, an ideal book for lounging in the sun with, easy to pick up and put down at will In fact it’s far more complex and nuanced than that. Yes, it does have a love-story at its heart, but there is also a mystery to be solved, secrets from the past to be revealed and the devastating effects of these to be resolved if Sarah is to stand any chance of discovering the reasons for Eddie’s silence.
With chapters moving backwards and forwards in time, and using emails and letters to offer insights into the past experiences of both the main characters, the story gradually reveals a complex web of interconnections between Sarah and Eddie. It incorporates a wide range of themes, exploring each one in a sensitive and insightful way. Some of the darker issues focus on bereavement, grief and loss, mental health, guilt and shame, the unreasonable demands families can make, stresses faced by long-time carers, terminally ill children and ambivalence about motherhood. Alongside these are explorations of the importance of having loyal, supportive friends and family, the need to hold onto hope, to believe in the possibility of redemption and self-forgiveness – and, weaving a thread through all these themes, is a central question about whether true love does in fact have the power to overcome any obstacle.
As the story gradually unfolded I felt I got to know Sarah and Eddie, to recognise their vulnerabilities, and their strengths, and to understand what drove them to make the decisions they did. I found myself caring deeply about what happened to them and must admit that there were moments when I needed to reach for the tissues when faced with their almost unbearable pain, confusion and agonising moments of indecision. I admired the ways in which the author captured so evocatively the many ways in which all our senses are heightened, and the world feels so much brighter and joyful when we fall in love; she was equally adept at capturing the contrasting intensity of despair and self-doubt when relationships go wrong. She also brought her skills to bear on the multi-faceted supporting characters in the story, creating roles and relationships for each of them, all of which felt essential to the developing story. By the time I finished the book I felt that I had got to know, and care about, every one of her characters.
The author managed the various twists and turns in the story, the see-sawing emotions of her two main characters, and the final denouement, in ways which felt convincing. Although I had guessed certain aspects of the outcome, there was an extra twist which took me by surprise and therefore added an extra layer to my enjoyment of this story – and increased my admiration for the author’s plotting skills! I’m aware that, using the pseudonym Lucy Robinson, she has written four earlier novels but as I haven’t read any of them, I don’t know whether they are as nuanced as this one, the first she has written using her own name. I’d love to know what influenced her decision to “own” this particular story but, whatever her reasons, I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for the next Rosie Walsh novel, hoping for another “gem”.
I think there is enough depth to this story to provide lots of discussion points for reading groups.
With chapters moving backwards and forwards in time, and using emails and letters to offer insights into the past experiences of both the main characters, the story gradually reveals a complex web of interconnections between Sarah and Eddie. It incorporates a wide range of themes, exploring each one in a sensitive and insightful way. Some of the darker issues focus on bereavement, grief and loss, mental health, guilt and shame, the unreasonable demands families can make, stresses faced by long-time carers, terminally ill children and ambivalence about motherhood. Alongside these are explorations of the importance of having loyal, supportive friends and family, the need to hold onto hope, to believe in the possibility of redemption and self-forgiveness – and, weaving a thread through all these themes, is a central question about whether true love does in fact have the power to overcome any obstacle.
As the story gradually unfolded I felt I got to know Sarah and Eddie, to recognise their vulnerabilities, and their strengths, and to understand what drove them to make the decisions they did. I found myself caring deeply about what happened to them and must admit that there were moments when I needed to reach for the tissues when faced with their almost unbearable pain, confusion and agonising moments of indecision. I admired the ways in which the author captured so evocatively the many ways in which all our senses are heightened, and the world feels so much brighter and joyful when we fall in love; she was equally adept at capturing the contrasting intensity of despair and self-doubt when relationships go wrong. She also brought her skills to bear on the multi-faceted supporting characters in the story, creating roles and relationships for each of them, all of which felt essential to the developing story. By the time I finished the book I felt that I had got to know, and care about, every one of her characters.
The author managed the various twists and turns in the story, the see-sawing emotions of her two main characters, and the final denouement, in ways which felt convincing. Although I had guessed certain aspects of the outcome, there was an extra twist which took me by surprise and therefore added an extra layer to my enjoyment of this story – and increased my admiration for the author’s plotting skills! I’m aware that, using the pseudonym Lucy Robinson, she has written four earlier novels but as I haven’t read any of them, I don’t know whether they are as nuanced as this one, the first she has written using her own name. I’d love to know what influenced her decision to “own” this particular story but, whatever her reasons, I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for the next Rosie Walsh novel, hoping for another “gem”.
I think there is enough depth to this story to provide lots of discussion points for reading groups.