Endless search for Mr Perfect
THE HUSBANDS by Holly Gramazio (Vintage £16.99, 368 pp)
PROTAGONIST Lauren gets home from a night out to find a husband waiting for her. So far so good, except Lauren has never seen this man before and isn’t married.
As she tries to work out what’s happening, he goes up to the attic and a new husband comes out. This magic room functions as a revolving door of new spouses of all shapes and sizes — 203 of them in total.
Every husband is someone she might have met if things had been a little different. If she’d gone to a particular party or looked in a certain direction — which is not to say that marrying any of them would have been a good idea. The longer this goes on, the more Lauren longs for continuity and commitment, and tries to find someone she can stay with.
I loved everything about it.
DARLING GIRLS by Sally Hepworth (Pan £9.99, 368 pp)
AFTER losing their biological families in tragic circumstances, Jessica, Norah and Alicia were all fostered to the same abusive woman, Miss Fairchild, as children.
Bound together by their shared awful experiences they regard each other as true sisters and are always there for each other.
Because Miss Fairchild’s big house was called Wild Meadows, had horses and a swimming pool, everyone told them how lucky they were to have ended up there. The reality of what their lives were like behind the facade, however, couldn’t have been more different or difficult.
Twenty-five years later, all three have moved on, with varying degrees of success, from their childhood trauma. When Wild Meadows is demolished and human remains are found, they are forced back to answer questions. As the narrative unfolds, it’s clear that some secrets refuse to remain buried. Gripping.
AS YOUNG AS THIS by Roxy Dunn (Fig Tree £16.99, 288 pp)
WE GET to know awkward, relatable protagonist Margot through a ringside seat at all her relationships to date.
As each chapter describes how they met and what happened, we learn what each individual man meant to her and witness her emotional growth as she moves forwards through the various stages of her life.
All of Margot’s boyfriends have different positive and negative points, and each seems to function like a stepping stone to the next. With each relationship that passes, she imagines herself closer to finding her final stop — the father of the children she knows she wants.
It’s beautifully written and the second person narration lends an authenticity to Margot’s nostalgic reminiscences and honest look back at her past. Although I occasionally wanted to shake her, I also believed in and rooted for her the whole way.
It’s brilliant on comparisons, self- sabotage, social expectations, fear and settling. Wonderful.