NEW RELEASE
Before I Knew You - Amanda Brookfield (2011)
When two couples from opposite sides of the ocean decide to swap houses for the summer, the effects it has on each of them is powerful. Sophie and Andrew, who have been married a while and need some respite from the chores of daily life, and William and Beth, newly married and still in their honeymoon phase, don't know each other personally. However, when they are put in touch with each other through a mutual friend, and the house swap is put into place, a chain of events that neither couple can stop is set off. The novel takes a hard look at relationships and the complex emotions that are involved in each one. It's quite heartbreaking at points, but overall the novel is right on point. Relationships are hard work at times and when you lose interest or trust in your partner, then often these relationships take a different course. But at the end of the day, these characters learn that important things are worth fighting for. A smart and well-written novel that showcases just how good Amanda Brookfield is at dissecting the human relationship and creating compelling characters. (AS)
Amanda Brookfield prompts readers to consider if you would swap houses with a family of strangers in her latest novel, Before I Knew You. The summary says: "Sophie and Andrew are looking for relief from the daily grind - if not each other - so when a friend puts them in touch with William and Beth, newly-weds looking to swap houses for the summer, it seems a solution of sorts. They find themselves in a stylish Connecticut home, a stone's throw from New York, while William and Beth take over their lived-in family house in South London, ideal for spending time with William's teenaged sons. The weeks away work an unexpected magic for Sophie, who begins to find a sense of happiness . . . although Beth has no such luck and, no longer the centre of William's world, grows increasingly miserable. And so the two marriages - one crushed by the weight of years, one shiny and new - slide into reverse. The intertwining of these lives and hearts begins to have dramatic consequences none of them could have foreseen . . . and all are powerless to stop."