Second Honeymoon
Here comes a book that in its title conveys it all. The Boyd family consisting of a mother, father and three children have been staying together under one roof. As the children grow up and find their wings, it turns into an empty nest. Edie, in particular, finds it difficult to deal with losing her youngest son, Ben who has decided to move in with his girlfriend and her mother. Whereas Russell, her husband is now looking forward to some undivided time and attention from his wife. Things are obviously strained since they clash, unable to see eye to eye. Looking to fill her house again, Edie decides to ‘mother’ Lazlo, who is part of the cast in the play that she is working in. In the meantime, Roza and Matt, the other two children also find reasons to move back home adding to the confusion. Suddenly, the house is fuller than ever before and the adult children now come with their own adult-sized problems. Edie who is not prepared, also finds it difficult to navigate her way through this change. And yes, like most stories, there is a pet cat too. So, what happens finally? Do the children fly the nest eventually? Does Edie make her peace with it? Do Edie and Russell head to a Second Honeymoon as the title suggests? To know the answers to all of the above, go ahead and read it.
The language of the book is light and clean. There are some other characters thrown in as well
including Edie’s sister Vivien, her son who has migrated to Australia and has found a girlfriend there, Vivien’s on and off husband Max, who keeps cheating on her time and again. It is a fairly simple premise and Joanna Trollope manages to keep the reader’s interest alive. There will be many of us, especially parents who will identify with this story as we all have either gone through this stage or know we will be experiencing it sometime in the future. Some may say that there is no thrill or excitement in the book, but then she touches upon a subject that is everyday life. So, if you are looking for a light read and are not expecting any earth-shattering twists and turns, go for it.
Joanna Trollope was born in Gloucestershire and resides in London. She has also written a number of historical novels and Britannia’s Daughters, a study of women in the British Empire. Apart from this book, she has also penned The Choir, A Village Affair, The Rector’s Wife, The Men and The Girls, The Best of Friends, Next of Kin and Brother and Sister amongst others. She has also written under the pseudonym of Caroline Harvey.
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