Ancaire, Marianne’s family home, is as much a character as any of the people who appear in Geraghty’s latest novel. There is something magical, mysterious, and inviting about this ramshackle house set on the Irish east coast that draws the reader in.
Marianne, on the other hand, hates it. It harbours nothing but difficult memories of her childhood and the tragic death of her younger sister.
Poor Marianne is after having a desperate run of it. Her fella has left her for someone else, she can’t stop shoplifting which lands her in court, and eventually the bank takes her house.
She slinks home to live with her eccentric, recovering alcoholic mother Rita, her formidable and zero craic aunt, and her not-quite-brother-but-pretty-much-brother, just until she gets herself sorted mind you.
What follows is Marianne’s heartwarming recovery surrounded by entertaining characters, mostly members of Rita’s DIY AA group. I feel the little mentions of Marianne’s accountant-like habits, or quirks is worth a nod. They made me smile more than once!
I went to bed at 9.30pm to get an early night and finished this book four hours later. So that’s a thumbs up from me! It was a welcome change of pace from my last few reads. Yes, it borders on cheesy at times but overall it’s an easy read with enjoyable characters.
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