Books

Someone Else’s Shoes by Jojo Moyes

Our two main female protagonists have absolutely nothing in common. Nisha has a very rich but controlling husband and lives a jet-setting lifestyle with designer clothes and multiple homes. Sam is struggling to hold everything together – her husband is suffering from depression and spends his day on the sofa, and her new boss is constantly undermining her. However, on the day that Nisha’s husband decides to lock her out of the house and start divorce proceedings, the two women accidentally swap gym bags and suddenly their lives are irrevocably changed. Nisha needs to find a way to earn money while trying to outmanoeuvre her conniving husband. Meanwhile Sam learns that wearing Nisha’s high-heeled designer shoes changes the way everyone looks at her and, ultimately, how she feels about herself. This is another feel-good, empowering Jojo Moyes story that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The Garnett Girls by Georgina Moore

The Garnett girls are Rachel, Imogen and Sasha. Set on the Isle of Wight, this story is about three sisters who have learned to cope differently with their parents’ divorce. They were very young when Richard, their father, walked out on their mother Margo. Margo sank into a deep depression, leaving her young daughters to cope on their own, with some intermittent help from neighbours and friends. Now Margo is living in an old cottage near Rachel, who is living in the family homestead with her husband and young children. Imogen is engaged and has written a play that is getting lots of attention. Sasha is doing her damnedest to stay free and easy, but is keeping a secret about their father that could damage an already fragile family peace. This is an engaging look at family dynamics and secrets, and I particularly liked the Isle of Wight as a setting, as it imbued the story with a sense of community, closeness and claustrophobia.