Book Review: The Break by Marian Keyes.

Forty-four-year-old Amy is gobsmacked when her husband, Hugh, declares that he wants to take a break from their marriage. He plans to travel through South East Asia and sever all contact for six months. Leaving Amy and three children behind, he heads off with a rucksack, a quick-dry towel and a newly discovered sense of freedom. Amy is devastated but, in true Irish style, she picks herself up and carries on, regardless. With some words of (not your average) wisdom from her daughters, sisters and feisty mother, Amy slowly learns what it is like to be a separated mother and struggles to adapt to her new role, albeit in great vintage clothes.

It is twenty two years since Marian Keyes burst onto the fiction scene, with her debut, Watermelon. Twelve worldwide bestselling novels later, she returns with a fresh and zingy new host of characters. Amy is an extremely likable and well-rounded personality; in her prime, yet delightfully immature; attractive, yet insecure; career confident, yet equally happy to be at home. She has raised three very unique children and is a loving aunt to many. Her eldest daughter, Neeve, (who's father is a virtually-absent former footballer) is a make-up vlogger, even managing to rope in her Granny for the odd session. There is her quiet and contemplative niece, Sofie, who has been living with Amy and Hugh since her early childhood and is rarely seen without boyfriend, Jackson. Finally there is Kiara, a dream-child who gives her parents no worries. This houseful of females is awash with ongoing shenanigans and all-round mayhem which builds up momentum for the weekly extended-family meal. Add in Amy's regular commute to London, for her celeb clients requiring media-makeovers, and the story line never dips.

Keyes has come back with a bang. She has deposited some of her own insightful, warm wit into her characters and let them come to life in their own unique way. Fans will recognise many familiar topics dotted throughout the narrative; a love of all things cosmetic-related; a monthly cheese-subscription; a wife who is weary with the arduous task of caring for her husband with dementia; a fear of hairdressers; the joy of seeing a baby car seat being removed from a sibling's car. However, there are more universal moments. The delight of the first sip of crisp, white wine at the end of a crappy day; the 'mean-girl' effect on on adults who need friends, not enemies; the pre-date preparations required to make an older-woman feel confident enough to strip-off. There are also very valid and serious issues addressed. The ongoing Repeal the 8th campaign is tackled head-on with a character needing to travel abroad to end her pregnancy. Women, on this island, have no rights to their own bodies. Under Irish law, it is a criminal offense to procure abortion pills or seek termination in Ireland. In The Break, a female has made her choice, but cannot legally do anything about it. Choice is the key word.  It may not be a story line that everyone will be comfortable with, but it is a reflection of our times.  Unfair treatment of females in the workplace is also alluded to:

 "These days, my friends of child-bearing age, who work any sizable company, tell me that life is like a dystopian novel, one where women have to swallow their pill in a public ceremony every morning in the workplace. ('They watch over you like a hawk. You can't sneak off to puke from a hangover or put on even an ounce. If they suspect you're pregnant, you're immediately sidelined onto the worst project ever, to make you resign.')

But, there are lots of laughs. Bucket-loads of laughs. Amy is the kind of friend that you would want at your party. She's fun, sassy and you know she would have your back. Her ability to laugh and enjoy life, even through the darker moments, are endearing and despite being kicked in the teeth, she does not wallow in self-pity. (Instead, choosing to shop online, despite dwindling finances.) She is a great mother and a fantastic daughter. She gets her chance for her own 'mid-life crisis' and Jaypers, she gets right up on that horse. The sex scenes are real and raunchy, without being gratuitous, and are all the better for it. The body-shaming and 'things you should never wear over the age of forty' lists get the middle finger from Marian Keyes, and rightly so. There are some amazingly astute one-liners, all the way through:

"A soul-mate is like one of those seventy-nine-euro flights  to New York - a lovely idea but they don't exist."

"There are times when your heart is bursting with love for them and there are spells when you tense up at the sound of them entering the room."

Flashbacks give the reader a chance to know more about Amy and Hugh, allowing more depth to their relationship. The pacing is great, the language is a balance of the colloquial and generic and all emotions are examined; grief, anger, joy, surprise, despair, excitement (sexual and retail - YES!) and acceptance. Amy's mother is a breath of fresh air and like The Walsh Family novels, the diverse personalities within the family unit are the making of the story. I cannot fault this book at all. I am delighted to see Ms. Keyes back in flying form and spreading the joy to her readers. We are definitely a better nation for her. An outstanding look at life for the modern Irish woman.  Highly Recommended.

The Break is published by Michael Joseph on 7th September 2017 in HB. You can pre-order your copy via your local bookshop or via amazon link below:

"The Woman Who Stole My Life" by Marian Keyes (Published 6 Nov 2014 )

 

I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley.com and PenguinUK in return for an honest review

 

 

Stella has turned forty, her husband is forever working and her two teenage kids are like ships passing the night.  Her daughter has a boyfriend now and thinks she's in love, while her son is more interested in yoga and cooking than being a regular teenage boy.  Then an unexpected illness means Stella's life is about to change, in more ways than one.

The story zigzags through different stages of a two year period in Stella's life. From hospital in Dublin to hotels around The United States, working in a beauty salon alongside her sister, to having her own self-help book tour. Stella is re-discovering herself but there is someone watching who wants her new life, and will stop at nothing to have it.

I have been a huge fan of Marian Keyes since her first novel Watermelon and have read everything she has written since. From the Walsh Family sagas to her under the duvet stories.  Marion has a knack of bringing a sense of Irish comedy into all her books without them seeming contrived.  This book had me giggling away from page one with the views on Karma, a Bitter Women's Bookclub and an ex-husband who is clearly going off the rails.  Her father was what got me laughing the most.  The vision of him reading to Stella aloud when she is in hospital, and his reaction to some of the books, was just hilarious.

Unfortunately, things slid downhill from here.  The narrative is weak and the chopping and changing time frames were confusing and eventually became irritating. While some sections were sub-headed with HIM, HER, this confused me more as other sections had no such headings and didn't even seem to gel together in any particular order or relevance.  Stella's son Jeffrey seemed to have potential at the start of the book but became a cliche once his parents separated. Moody is one thing, rude and obnoxious is another.  Demanding diva like behaviour brought his character to a whole other level, and it was not a good one.  Her daughter, Betsy was given a rare appearance and had no substance.  

Ryan, the husband, had some bite in him at the beginning, but like his son, became so annoying a character that had he been real, I would have left the country to avoid for ever, bringing my children with me under false travel documents so he could never contact us again. A smarmy, selfish idiot who any sane woman would avoid at all costs! 

This bring me to Mannix. The new man who starts off as a knight in shining armor and re-appears, suddenly single, available and hankering after Stella.  Not at all put off by her atrocious children and ex, he obviously sees something in Stella that I never spotted and, from here on in, the book sunk. 

Far too long ( over 550 pages ), poor story-line and awful characters ( except for Stella's Dad and Mannix's ex ), meant that I had to force myself to care enough to finish.  Considering its great beginning, I was sorely disappointed.  

However, it is Marian Keyes, and I am sure it will head straight to the number one spot when published in November, just in time for the Christmas market.  

Sorry Penguin, this Irish reader wants the old Marian Back.......