NEW RELEASE
Now That I've Found You - Ciara Geraghty (2014)
Life has stalled for both Vinnie and Ellen. Vinnie's wife, Paula, upped and left him without explanation or excuse and Vinnie doesn't know whether she's gone for good. But he has to hold things together for his two children as best he can. Ellen is still reeling from a car crash that has left her physically and emotionally scarred. The only person she sees outside of her physiotherapist is her taxi driver Vinnie. And slowly a comfortable, steady bond forms between these two wandering souls. The first thing to say about this novel is that Geraghty does the unexpected by making Vinnie the main narrator in this story and it certainly makes for a refreshing and interesting take. Ellen is voiced through occasional letters and there's something of a disparity between the focus on the two characters. Indeed, I was left feeling that I wanted to know much more about her, although Geraghty's strategy may be a reflection on Ellen's introversion and reclusiveness since her accident. It did seem a shame however that we don't get to be as close to her. The novel is quietly strong, a steady blossoming instead of a sudden explosion and a nice, warming read. (JC)
Now That I've Found You, by Ciara Geraghty, is about two people who change each other's lives. The summary says: "Forty-two-year-old Vinnie knows lots of things. He knows new books and school shoes are expensive. He knows his teenage daughter keeps getting into trouble and he knows his eight-year-old has wet the bed every night for the past year and a half. What Vinnie doesn't know is where his wife is, or how he will ever get better at single fatherhood. Ellen knows how much it costs to take a taxi to the physio. She knows she's too scared to get behind the wheel of a car ever again and she knows that what happened in the accident was all her fault. What Ellen doesn't know is that Vinnie is about to need her to face her fears. And neither of them knows they're going to change the other's life forever." Now That I've Found You is out in July 2014.