The thing about buying a bookshop is that suddenly your TBR (To be Read) pile goes from around 60, to 60,000!
And with that many books to get through, you can’t stick to your old favourites, instead you have to try new ground, new genres and new authors. I’d heard a lot of folk talk about David Nicholl’s book ‘You Are Here‘ so thought I’d give it a shot.
I was barely through the first chapter when I absolutely fell in love with this book.
Marnie is lonely. Her life hasn’t turned out as she planned, and now she’s living alone in her London flat (ironically where I lived myself in Herne Hill). Working as a slightly anal proofreader (ironically that’s kind of what I used to do). She’s slowly turning into a hermit, avoiding friends and reminders of her rotten, selfish ex-husband. She prefers to curl up with a good book, but after many lonely afternoons she feels life is passing her by.
Marnie is clearly my kindred spirit.
So when a good friend invites her on a walking trip, she thinks what the heck.
Michael is coming undone. Adrift after his wife’s departure, he has begun taking himself on long, solitary walks across the English countryside. Becoming ever more reclusive – anything to avoid being alone in the house.
Against a backdrop of wild countryside, cosy pubs and unpredictable weather Michael and Marnie form a friendship on the ten-day hike with some of the funniest and best banter I’ve read in a long time.
This book is actually a romance (I had no idea).
It’s incredibly well written, the characters totally relatable, the humour and wit so sharp it made me snort.
It’s a romance for us of an older generation too, no tweeness here. Instead, a real and honest look at how hard it is to trust again, and even be bothered to start another relationship.
I read the book and also listened in parts with my partner, who never reads novels, we paused the audio multiple times to laugh out loud and chat about the story. He liked it so much he dashed out to buy his own copy (and finished it before I did).
And of course, now I know it’s from the internationally bestselling and Booker Prize-longlisted author of One Day, one of the most enduring love stories of its generation! Who knew?
This is an uplifting, hilarious and unputdownable love story about second chances, and getting a little bit lost to find the best way forward.
Sometimes you need to get lost to find your way 🙂
