Guest review: A Most Desirable Marriage by Hilary Boyd

Lawrence and Jo have enjoyed a strong marriage, the envy of their friends. Even after thirty years they have lots to say to each other, many interests in common and, until recently, a good sex life.

But Lawrence seems wary and restless. Something's wrong. Just how wrong, Jo is about to discover...

Can they use their years of history - all the things they've shared - to overcome a devastating betrayal?

I was attracted to this book as it is unusual to find a story dealing with the 'older generation' and the problems that may be rumbling away beneath even the most stable-looking long marriage. 

Jo and Lawrence have been married for 37 years and he is on the point of retiring from his university lecturer job when he drops a bombshell that splits them up. Until then, everybody - friends, family, Jo herself - thinks that they have a strong, even perfect, marriage. Lawrence's revelation leaves them all reeling. We then follow Jo in particular as she deals with Lawrence's betrayal and tries to pick up the threads of her life. She must deal with the effects on her 2 grown up children who are shocked by what has happened, and have personal problems of their own that must be addressed. She also has to try to continue with her own career as a writer of fiction for young adults - after all, there are financial implications of the situation. Most of all, she must try to sort out in her head how she feels about Lawrence and what the eventual outcome will be.  

This is the second of Hilary Boyd's novels that I have read and I shall watch out for more from her. This one had me picking it up whenever I had a moment as I had no idea at all how it was all going to play out and was intrigued to see what would happen. It was certainly thought-provoking, but, even so, I don't think I would say that I enjoyed it immensely. I found that I didn't agree with a lot of Jo's actions and couldn't warm to many of the characters. However, it is undoubtedly refreshing to find a storyline featuring slightly older people and dealing with the fallout from a very difficult situation.