The Break @MarianKeyes @MichaelJBooks

About The Break

Amy's husband Hugh has run away to 'find himself'. But will he ever come back?

'Myself and Hugh . . . We're taking a break.'

'A city-with-fancy-food sort of break?'

If only.

Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her.

He still loves her, he's just taking a break - from their marriage, their children and, most of all, from their life together. Six months to lose himself in South East Asia. And there is nothing Amy can say or do about it.

Yes, it's a mid-life crisis, but let's be clear: a break isn't a break up - yet . . .
However, for Amy it's enough to send her - along with her extended family of gossips, misfits and troublemakers - teetering over the edge.

For a lot can happen in six-months. When Hugh returns, if he returns, will he be the same man she married? Will Amy be the same woman?

Because if Hugh is on a break from their marriage, then so is she . . .

The Break is a story about the choices we make and how those choices help to make us. It is Marian Keyes at her funniest, wisest and brilliant best.

My review of The Break

When you pick up a Marian Keyes book you just know that you're in for a treat, and The Break is no exception. I loved this book from the very beginning. 

The novel revolves around protagonist Amy, and her husband, Hugh, who live in Dublin. Hugh decides that they need to take a break, they have been married for 17 years, and so heads off to Asia for six months on a backpacking adventure, leaving Amy at home who immerses herself in her PR work, while she waits for him to return home. The big questions are, will he return home? Can things ever be the same again? 

Hugh is dealing with his father's death, and although Amy understand his need to grieve, and that he needs time, she does struggle with the fact that he has decided to grieve alone, and on the other side of the world, effectively shunning her. What follows is an emotive story about how Amy deals with this life changing event, and although there are moments of pure anguish and a few tears, there are also many laugh out loud moments,  caused by the many colourful Irish characters that we meet

I loved this book for featuring a female character in her 40s. Amy is 44 and thought her life was pretty sorted. Happily married for seventeen years, a stable marriage, a happy marriage, but suddenly everything is turned on its head.  I read thinking that this could happen to anyone and I think that this is the main strength of this novel. What happened to Amy could happen within your own marriage. The idea , the horror of it hooks you in. It tackles not the falling in love part, but how to stay in love part, and this is what I loved about this book.  Will their love be strong enough?  Can they stay in love?

As ever the writing is witty, fast and engaging. The characters are colourful and the joy really comes from reading their conversations and how they interact with one another. It really is a pure delight.

The Break is anything but a light read. It does tackle serious issues that deal with love in marriage. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, it was engaging, current and I completely understood the characters. Loved it! 

With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy.

The Break was published by Michael Joseph on 7 September. It can be found on Amazon here.