Last week I got treated to two new books 'by my favourite authors' - with a view to writing my thoughts on here. They were Marian Keyes' The Brightest Star in the Sky and Jojo Moyes' The One Plus One.
I don't know if I've mentioned already, but I have a habit of reading the endings of books to find out if they're worth reading. If I can't predict the ending from the first and last few pages, I'll read it. If I can - I'll give it up. Anyway, first impressions of Keyes' novel passed the test. At the time of starting to write this post I am just shy of 100 pages in, and I'm still discovering what it's all about. I took it to work knowing I have limited time to read both books before next Sunday and just couldn't put it down!
Having finished it, it was a really good read. My only slight criticism is the plot holes - but that might be the speed of my reading. With so many characters, it was hard to figure whether their story had truly ended by the time the book had. Still, it kept me guessing and was easy to follow, humorous and thought provoking.
What fascinated me about The One Plus One was the emphasis on journeys, and their importance in our lives. Reading the end first - obviously! - I stumbled upon an article Jojo had included about them, originally published in The Times. I'm watching 24 at the moment, and we joke a lot about how much of it is spent driving but a lot can be discovered during this 'filling' time. Journeys are underrated; a real space to think and talk without distraction. There is nowhere to hide, something The One Plus One demonstrates beautifully. I am confused as to why it's called The One Plus One, however. I think the American title One Plus One makes much more sense with the storyline.
I'm finding that Jojo's books test us to see how far we'd go for others, this being no exception, and how there is always something to be learnt from the people we cross paths with.
Jessica is likeable from the start, reminding us what it's like to struggle as we all go through our own trials in our lives, and how to make the best out of worst case scenarios.
I just think Ed is a bit of a doofus. Loveable, but easily led and gets himself caught up in all the wrong things - again, something we can relate to.
It's a very real, warts-and-all love story, though not as emotional as Me Before You. Jojo is consistently good and I'm looking forward to discovering who else lives in her world.
If you watched Pride of Britain the other week - rephrase - when you were watching Pride of Britain the other week, you will have heard a story about a man stopping on Waterloo Bridge to talk another down from the edge. Amazing stuff, and the two have since become friends.
Coincidentally, a few weeks before, I had read How to Fall in Love - the latest venture from Cecelia Ahern. Perhaps most famous for her novel turned film PS I Love You, Ahern's books never fail to move you and warm the heart. How to Fall in Love is no exception, and I think in time can grow to be bigger than the aforementioned.
It questions everything we know about ourselves, humility, humanity and the human race. What would you do and what on earth happens next?
As much as the storyline ends predictably, that is not the point of the book - at least in my opinion. Through helping others discover what is good about life, we discover more ourselves. This novel demonstrates all that is good about the world and that these struggles happen to everyone. (Everyone's heard the tale of Pagliacci the clown!)
It has undeniable echoes of one of my favourite books, Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. It really makes you question how far you'd go to help others, how you are as a person and how much our regrets affect us in the short and the long term.
The main thing I took from this book is the importance of being kind and thoughtful. You never know what someone is dealing with, and you never know what could push them off the edge - or indeed bring them round.
