The Break by Marian Keyes (Michael Joseph, £20)
Although he assures her he will come back, there will be no contact between them while he is away.
Amy is devastated but has no choice but to carry on as usual.
She has a large and chaotic family: she is the mother of two daughters, sister to three siblings and her mother has cabin fever from looking after Amy’s father, who is suffering from dementia.
Equally ready to pass judgment are her female friends, some of whom have their own agenda.
At the same time, Amy has to keep “showing up for the important stuff, like work”, commuting between Dublin and London for her job in PR.
It’s on one of those trips that she reconnects with Josh, a journalist she had the hots for only a year earlier.
But this time, there’s no Hugh to get in the way.
Amy is a fabulous creation who comes with plenty of baggage and an online shopping addiction. All of Keyes’ characters are invested with such wit and compassion that they spring from the pages and invite our sympathy.
Touching on issues of loss, grief, marriage, friendship, parenting and Ireland’s ban on abortion, The Break races along with Keyes’ trademark energy, lightness of touch and plenty of laughs.