The Break

Following the deaths of both his father and his friend Gavin, Amy’s husband Hugh is heading in a downwards spiral, avoiding work, and replacing friends and family with copious hours of Netflix. After concluding that life is futile, Hugh’s midlife crisis comes to a head when he reveals that he needs to go on a ‘break’ to Southeast Asia. While he adores his children and niece, Hugh believes that he must put himself first, and explore new places.

For Amy, Hugh’s news comes as a shock.  As one-third of Hatch, a small PR agency, Amy wonders how she will cope without her husband, especially considering that she works from London two days a week, and would be leaving her daughters on their own. Her first husband’s departure caused her five years of distress, and made her hesitant to begin dating again.

Amy is also concerned about the response from her opinionated, meddlesome and eccentric family.  It is only when her sister suggests that Amy would also be free to see other people that she begins to see the situation in a different light.

While The Break is a uniquely Irish novel, peppered with phrases such as ‘gas craic’, its references to Twitter, vlogging, the Gwyneth Paltrow-coined term, ‘conscious uncoupling’ and the comparison to being ‘as leaky as Julian Assange’ give The Break its modern edge.

Marian Keyes’ newest release is a gorgeous, relatable novel that fans will adore.