by Marian Keyes
First published 2004
Maggie is thirty-three and has been married to Garv for nine years. She calls him Garv, though that's not his real name. In her family, Maggie has always been the good one, the sensible sister. Her other sisters could fill entire novels with their stories, but this isn't their moment. Garv was Maggie's first boyfriend, a fact her mother loves to share with everyone. Her mother tells people that Maggie wasn't one of those girls who went out with a different boy every night. As Maggie looks back on her life and marriage, she examines what it means to be the reliable daughter, the one who stayed with her first love while her sisters lived more dramatic lives. The story explores the weight of being the steady one and questions whether playing it safe has brought her the happiness she expected.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, introspective, slice-of-life
400 pages · Paperback · Debolsillo