My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I want to come up with a phrase that is equivalent to “page turner” but for audio-books, pause-resistant? I am not sure, I will keep looking for a cool expression, but for now, this book was that for me. It is a very light read, ugh, I mean listen. I am going to get tired if I keep trying to be accurate so I’ll drop it.
Amy is a single mother of two, who was forced by life to be a go-getter instead of a housewife when her husband, who was the bread winner in the family, left her with no introductions to go live in Hong Kong for three years. I don’t want to attempt any spoilers, even though the story isn’t the most interesting thing in this book.
I don’t hate her husband. I usually don’t have empathy for characters who up and leave their families or cheat on their spouses or are generally assholes, but I found some empathy for John. Mental Illness is a real thing, and though it is not discussed in depth in this book, there is enough for me to see that he felt trapped.
The story is mainly about a mom’s journey to "finding herself" again, after "losing" herself in motherhood. I am not sure how a mother would feel about this book, I can imagine many of them shrugging at the idea of “finding yourself”, and I admit, even in my unmarried state, I can see how it can sound a lot like a childless/childish thing to say. However I do believe there is a conversation to be made about how selfless, maybe to an unhealthy extent, motherhood is expected to be, and the guilt and worry that they can experience at the mere thought of taking time off. There is a lot to unpack in this aspect of motherhood and I think for me this is what the book is about.
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