Delving into a delightful novel by Marian Keyes can be compared to attending a touching Irish wake – amidst the tears and egg-mayo sandwich in your hand, someone would share a jest and the mourning room would be filled with laughter in no time. Keyes sends readers back to the beloved Walsh clan in her newest book, My Favorite Mistake. The protagonist, Anna Walsh, a flourishing PR executive in the luxury beauty industry, based in New York, is a 48-year-old woman. When the global health crisis breaks and her relationship goes south, she retreats to her home country, to her family who are horrified that their unending provision of lavish beauty products might cease. Concurrently, her old mates, Bridget and Colm, are stalled in their ambitious project of erecting a posh sanctuary in Connemara due to mass opposition by the locals. Anna’s mission is to quench this PR fiasco out West, but it gets muddled as the notorious Joey Armstrong, who shares a mixed bag of history with Anna, has an involvement in the scheme.
Parallel to this primary narrative, Anna’s personal journey of womanhood in her forties is also explored. When a pompous young male medical practitioner disdained her need for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), calling it an overreaction to a typical stage of a woman’s life, her sister Claire erupts in disbelief. According to Claire, men would get immediate medical attention, even if they had something as minor as an itchy testicle, while women would merely be prescribed antidepressants for everything from sinus issues to verrucas, unless they were actually battling depression, in which case they’d be told to just get a dog.
While the book is laced with such light-hearted comedy throughout, Keyes novels’ enduring charm and success also lie in the genuine and relatable human circumstances underlying the humour. How do we deal with disillusionment with life, the breakdown of pivotal relationships, or the tragic loss of a loved one? How do we respond when our aspirations come crashing down, or when fear keeps us from pursuing happiness? The readers’ sustained interest is owed as much to Keyes’s humorous narrative as her sensitive portrayal of human life.
“My Favourite Mistake” offers a profound narrative depth and richness that is sure to delight fans of Marian Keyes. The book delivers wisdom, charm, humour, and emotional resonance, alongside a compelling conclusion – all characteristics that admirers of Keyes have come to anticipate. In essence, she has repeated her literary triumph once more.