It’s been a long time since I raced through a book as quickly as “You are Here”, loving every single word, laughing out loud, sometimes feeling a tad weepy, all while dreading the end of such a super story.
This is a gorgeous, funny, touching love story of two lonely people who get thrown together in the most uncomfortable of circumstances – hiking for days through (mainly) rainy north England – and it is just magnificent.
What is so lovely about the book is that even though I haven’t lived in my native England for many, many years (read decades) I felt instantly “at home” as I walked with Marnie and Michael through rain and mud, and stayed with them in weird and wonderful B&Bs, and ate the pub lunches – the author brings to life ordinary, relatable people. Likeable, “good” people who are shy and lonely and scared of being hurt the second time round.
As Marnie and Michael get more relaxed around each other, they swap jokes and references, and you can sense their growing attraction. And yet there are some moments of true sadness and regret – at not having children, of ageing parents – and the discussions around them are realistic and often poignant.
Lovely. A truly “feel good” book.
Highly recommended.
I’ve been meaning to read it, ever since I read One Day – also terrifically readable
And I now have “One Day” on my reading list