11 Nov The Woman in the Middle by Milly Johnson
Shay’s a heroine we can all identify with!
*****
Sunday Times best-seller Milly Johnson has done it again with a brilliant story about a middle-aged woman caught in the sandwich generation.
Shay Bastable’s children may be in their early twenties, but she can’t help worrying about them. Her son, Sunny, is engaged to be married, but on the rare occasion she sees him, he does not seem all that happy with life.
Meanwhile her daughter Courtney lurches from one crisis to another – and expects her mum to bail her out each time.
On the other side of the sandwich is Shay’s mum Roberta. Divorced and in her 70s with mild dementia, she’s being plagued by the neighbours from hell. Shay’s sister Paula is as useless as a chocolate teapot and so the burden of her mother’s care falls on Shay.
Meanwhile, her husband Bruce’s conduct is making her anxious, too – he’s become distant and unloving, but swears it’s just pressures of work.
As if worrying about the future isn’t enough, a few cryptic remarks from her mother set Shay dwelling on a teenage romance with a tragic outcome.
As things come to a cataclysmic head, Shay throws up her hands and quits her responsibilites. Will putting herself first, for once, help her break out of her rut, find resolution and finally be true to herself?
As always, Milly writes with warmth, humour and wit. All the characters spring to life under her perceptive pen. Each and every person is a joy to get to know.
I love the ways her “baddies” – like Roberta’s neighbours and Sunny’s fiancée – are bad without ever becoming pantomime characters, but of course it’s the “goodies” who really shine.
Shay is a super character whom we can all relate to, and she deals with everything life throws at her with grace and humour. She may think she’s putting herself first but she never loses sight of the love she has for friends and family.
The narrative is fast-paced and the dialogue is laugh-out-loud, and it’s all balanced beautifully with a poignant plot that will bring sympathetic tears to your eyes.
Thanks, Milly, for another great read!
The Woman in The Middle is out now in hardbook and ebook
About the Author
One of the UK’s top 10 female fiction authors Milly Johnson has sold millions of books around the world. She is absolutely one of my favourite writers!
Follow Milly on Twitter @Milly Johnson
Find her on Facebook @MillyJohnsonAuthor
Follow her on Instagram @themillyjohnson
More like This
- My One True North by Milly Johnson
- I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day by Milly Johnson
- The Long Way Home by Fanny Blake
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