Review: Together Again by Milly Johnson

Sisters Jolene, Marsha and Annis have convened at their beautiful family home, Fox House, following the death of their mother, the tricky Eleanor Vamplew. Born seven years apart, the women are more strangers than sisters.

Jolene, the eldest, is a successful romantic novelist who writes about beautiful relationships even though her own marriage to the handsome and charming Warren is complicated.

Marsha, the neglected middle child, has put all of her energy into her work, hoping money will plug the gap in her life left by the man who broke her young heart.

Annis is the renegade, who left home aged sixteen and never returned, not even for the death of their beloved father Julian. Until now.

So when the sisters discover that their mother has left everything to Annis in her will, it undermines everything they thought they knew. Can saying their final goodbyes to Eleanor bring them together again?

Together, Again is the story of truths uncovered and lies exposed, of secrets told – and kept. It is a novel about sister helping sister to heal from childhood scars and finding in each other support, forgiveness, courage and love.

Review: Once I started this book, I was hooked and I could not put it down. I read this novel in 2 great big delicious chunks. This book is definitely on the darker side of what we come to expect from this author but with the darkness comes the light of love found in family and the love found in unexpected or forgotten ties. 

I loved getting to meet these three sisters. They come from this big house in a village but they are by no means the March sisters. Because of the fact that they were born seven years apart, they were basically each raised as only children and so their bond is essentially non-existent at the start of the book. The beauty of this novel is the fact that we get to go on this journey with them of rediscovering their family, rediscovering a bond that was incredibly tenuous to begin with and therefore rediscovering themselves in the process. 

The house itself feels like a side character in this book too and I think that the house is essential to what happens between these three women and also their memories of their mother Eleanor, who we do get to hear some opinions from via a letter being drip-fed to us throughout the book. The house is cold and unforgiving, it holds so many memories within but memories that are unique to each woman and those memories start to unfold as new ties and new warmth are made. 

I really like the fact that each of these women are self-sufficient. They don’t need to be there for a place to stay, the thing that unites them is grief but they each have their own lives to lead. These are strong women who have made their own way and their won fortunes and at no point was I worried about their integrity because of that. I was worried about these women though and I think that sympathy for them definitely powered me to read more and carry on turning the pages in the hope that they would see the light. 

In true Milly Johnson style we have some particularly shitty male characters we have to deal with as well (of course) and the men in this book, on the whole are real pieces of work. Each woman has a man in their past or present that is not good news and so their new bonds definitely help them to better deal with these men but Joelene’s home situation definitely does come with some care-warnings so check the blurb before you read this one. 

I loved getting to meet and getting to know Jolene, Marsha and Annis. I think these characters and this book will stay with me for a long time. I would love love love to read more from them and I think you will too!

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