Author: P.A. Laver
Publisher: P.A. Laver
Publication Date: August 2017
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Description: Those we love will guide us long after they have gone…
Abby Page, a married mid-30s Gen Y has just had her world turned upside down. Her husband of twelve years has unexpectedly left her for another man – and she has just been made redundant from her ten year position as a senior bookkeeper.
Could it get any worse?
Unfortunately, yes, but help is on its way. Barbara, her mother, has turned up to provide maternal advice in her hour of need. Just one small problem, Barbara passed away two years ago – but now she’s back and talking to Abby from the hall mirror.
Abby would be the first to admit that she was never the perfect daughter. She’s always been too mouthy, too honest, too tall, and has a bump on her nose. And lately she’s developed a really shitty attitude.
But Abby’s bubble of ignorant bliss has burst. The world is not as she thought. From complacency and conformity she is now experiencing the cruel realities of being on her own and unemployed.
Abby Page is willing to tell you her story, warts and all. There could just be a lesson or two in here on how to survive and even thrive in a world of deceit and treachery – and all with a little help from dead people. And then there’s that other thing. Fancy discovering the joys of sex at 35!
My Thoughts: If you are the type of reader that wants to know absolutely nothing about a book before reading, this book will provide some moments of laughter, surprise, tears and a really good story about a woman recovering from divorce and starting over at 35. If you are like me, however, and want to know a little bit about the book and depend on the back cover blurbs, you may go into this book expecting something that the book does not provide. It’s not always a bad thing as unexpected surprises can often turn into blessings. I went into this book expecting a chick-lit story about a woman who after her husband leaves her for another man begins talking to her dead mother in the mirror. I thought that Abby’s dead mother would talk her into all sorts of exciting adventures to get her out of her shell and back into her life. I expected fun and frivolity which is what I come to expect with chick-lit. The dead mother in the mirror is there and though I enjoyed the conversations she and Abby have, it wasn’t central to the story at all.
Instead, Abby is an introverted woman who has spent the last dozen years living the life of a wife and worker. Her dreams haven’t quite turned out the way she expected. She thought that she and her boyfriend, Rodney, would marry and she would have children and life would just flow down the happy tranquil river. Instead, a dozen years later, Rodney dumps her for another man and leaves her high and dry trying to work out how she will be able to afford the mortgage and make ends meet. To add insult to injury, she is terminated by her employer and bookkeeping jobs are harder to find than she expects.
I admired Abby’s strength of will and determination. Instead of wallowing in self-pity, she gets busy trying to sort out her finances and secure another position. Even when it appears that there are forces at work to ensure Abby fails, she doesn’t cower, run or admit defeat. She eventually secures a job with a small company that appears to employ just her and her boss. Abby is so busy learning her new job and trying to survive there isn’t much time left at the end of the day for conversations with her deceased mother or adventures.
This author is new to me so I was also taken by surprise at the deft twists and turns this plot unfolds. Just when I start to get comfortable with Abby’s surroundings and situations, the author tosses in an unexpected event that had me wondering how it all would play out. Fortunately, the conclusion was satisfying, without unnecessary cliffhangers.
The author did a fantastic job creating characters that change and grow in realistic situations and life events. The story is well structured and told completely from Abby’s perspective. Though this story was not what I was expecting, I found it to be easy to read and understand. The supporting characters added depth to the story and were interesting.
My Final Verdict: Overall, I enjoyed this story immensely and felt a range of many emotions while reading. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy women’s fiction as well as readers who like stories that surprise you with characters who find strength and survive what life throws at them.
Thank you to the author, P.A. Laver, for the invitation to read and review.
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