A gorgeous loveable book, to make you cry, smile and even, with perfect timing, roar with laughter. Alice, Dan, and their two daughters are a practically perfect family, when the unthinkable happens, their world is thrown into chaos. Each chapter is written from the perspective of three of the family members, allowing you direct access to different thoughts and feelings. Each tale is so distinctive, grounding you so precisely in that particular moment in time, that it’s almost a shock when you move on. Sinead Moriarty delivers humour in darkness, creating necessary and quite beautiful balance. This tale just gallops along, it is so readable, yet astutely clever, emotional and heartfelt. This is the first book I’ve read by Sinead Moriarty, it most certainly won’t be my last!
This title Winner the Irish Book Award for Popular Fiction 2015. Heartfelt and deeply moving...I couldn't put it down. (Susan Lewis). Intriguing and thought provoking...a great read. (Katie Fforde). When Alice's husband Ben dies suddenly, her world falls apart. They shared twenty years and two daughters and life without him is unimaginable. Having lost her parents while young, Alice understands her girls' pain. At fifteen, Jools is at that awkward age and only Ben could get through to her. And eleven-year-old Holly looks for the answer to everything in books but this time she's drawing a blank. Alice realizes that for their sakes she must summon up superhuman reserves of strength. Somehow all three of them come through the dark days. In time, it's even possible for Alice to consider marrying again, with the girls' blessing. So when Ben turns up after three years, her world is again turned upside-down. The girls assume that their family can go back to the way they were. Alice is not so sure. Once more Alice has to find the strength to be the mother her daughters need her to be. But this time what that means is far from clear... Smart family drama that packs a punch. (Heat on The Secrets Sisters Keep). Fans of Sinead know they can expect honesty, humour and great story-telling. (Hello).
Growing up, Sinead Moriarty was inspired by watching her mother, an author of children's books, writing at the kitchen table. Her childhood dream was to write a novel. It was at the age of thirty, while working as a journalist in London, that she began to write creatively in her spare time - after work, at lunch times ... and, truth be told, during work hours. Her first novel, The Baby Trail, a bitter-sweet story of a couple struggling to have a baby (inspired by her own early difficulties conceiving) was published in 2004 and has been translated into twenty languages. Sinéad Moriarty's novels have sold over half a million copies in Ireland and the UK. She has won over readers and critics telling stories that are funny, humane, moving and relevant to modern women. She lives in her native Dublin with her husband and their three children.
