NEW RELEASE
A Most Desirable Marriage - Hilary Boyd (2014)
Married for over 30 years, Jo is looking forward to husband Lawrence's impending retirement and the chance to spend even more time together. But Lawrence hasn't been himself, and Jo learns the devastating truth: he's been having an affair - but it's not just the matter of an affair but who he's been involved with that throws Jo. And suddenly their beautiful, safe marriage comes crashing down around her. Jo sees no point in fighting Lawrence's decision to leave her and tries to move forward with her own life but it seems love built over a lifetime cannot be easily dismantled. Once again Boyd hits on wonderfully rich and interesting ideas as she continues to look at later life. The premise of the story - an extramarital affair - may seem old-hat but Boyd gives it a twist that really injects new life and meaning into the issue. I wasn't entirely convinced by the direction the story took in the second half of the novel, or the satisfactoriness of the ending but the whole situation is an interesting one. There were a couple of other affectations that disrupted things for me as well, the lesser one being a tendency to often refer to one of the characters as 'the American', the larger one being a story about Jo's mother and father which is literally shoehorned into a couple of pages. Given the content of this history it deserved a much fuller examination, and it was really strange that it was included only to be rushed over so quickly and forgotten about again. These aside, Boyd certainly offers an engaging and alternative reading experience. (JC)
A Most Desirable Marriage, by Hilary Boyd, is about a marriage shaken by a secret. The summary says: "Lawrence and Jo have enjoyed a strong marriage, the envy of their friends. Even after thirty years they have lots to say to each other, many interests in common and, until recently, a good sex life. But Lawrence seems wary and restless. Something's wrong. Just how wrong, Jo is about to discover... Can they use their years of history - all the things they've shared - to overcome a devastating betrayal?" A Most Desirable Marriage is out in October 2014.