The book opens with this:The stars are not wanted now; put out every one;From Funeral Blues by W. H. Auden
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.
Emma and John are the perfect couple - together since high school, now living together in Dublin, surrounded by their closest friends. But tragedy strikes early in this debut novel when John is the victim of a fatal accident. Emma must face her loss and rebuild, with help from her friends and family.
Emma's grief and rebuilding process is sad, true, poignant and witty all at once. After she is past the initial shock and devastation, Emma's wit and humor carried her through (McPartlin was formerly a stand-up comedian.)
When it appears halfway through the story that Emma and Sean, her deceased boyfriend's best friend, will proclaim their love for each other, it only becomes a matter of time. It took poor Emma far too long to realize her love for Sean, and once she does, everyone cheers and awaits their next move. Before long, Emma is pregnant (which ironically, is something she found out she was NOT on the day that her boyfriend John died) and they are planning a future together. I was so glad to see that Emma was finally getting the happy ending that when she almost died after giving birth I was ready to cry - and throw the book across the room. I didn't - and she lived, of course.
The stories of Emma's friends Clodagh and Tom, Sean, Richard and Anne, as well as her Catholic Priest brother Noel, were integral parts in her recovery, and the whole gang seemed to really move forward together, with the help of each other. I tend to really love stories of treasured friendship and I thought McPartlin did an amazing job with this group.
I loved this book. I highly recommend it to all!
