Review: The Break - Marian Keyes

It's no secret that I love Marian Keyes. Her books have always been the perfect balance between a light, holiday read, and something more meaty and substantial - so when my lovely friend, Steph, gave me Marian's newest book, The Break, for my birthday, I couldn't wait to get stuck in.

The main thing I noticed from reading this was how successfully Marian Keyes has moved with the times. She's managed to keep her familiar Irish narrative voice and comforting writing style that she's known for, while still creating a very modern and relevant piece of fiction. Set in Ireland (as usual), The Break follows Amy, her husband Hugh, and there unconventional family. There's Neeve, Amy's daughter from her short-lived first marriage; Kiara, Amy and Hugh's daughter; and Sophie, Amy's niece and a girl seemingly unwanted by her own parents. Add to this a demented father, a useless ex, interfering siblings, and a host of quirky colleagues, and you've got a a novel that you can really get your teeth into.

Without giving the plot away, the novel centres around Hugh's somewhat sudden decision to 'take a break' from his and Amy's marriage, and the subsequent fallout. Amy struggles with being the sole caregiver to the three girls, holding down a job that requires flying to London every week, and dealing with the incessant gossip of those around her.

The Break has everything you'd expect from a novel meant to depict modern family life. Marian Keyes has used Amy's blended family to accurately represent the society and the culture we live in today. Her brother is gay and he and his partner have become parents through surrogacy; her father suffers from severe dementia, while her mother feels guilty for sneaking out of the house for respite; her eldest daughter is a YouTube 'influencer'; her sister is unmarried and childless (and loves it); and Amy is struggling with explaining to Neeve that relentlessly pursuing the absent father she idolises is actually a huge waste of her time.

What I took away most from Keyes' novel is that there is no 'right' path to take in life, no such thing as a normal family, and most importantly, that there is almost always a huge grey area between right and wrong. She shows that first impressions aren't always correct, that people are often struggling far more than you know, and that simply being there to listen and to understand is sometimes all that's necessary.

I think this is my favourite of Marian Keyes' novels and can't wait to get someone else I know to read it so I can discuss it with them!

Currently reading: The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes, due to be released October 2019. Review coming soon...