I was in a quandary with this book: I sank way down deep into it and didn’t ever want it to end while at the same time wanting desperately to know how it was going to end, if you know what I mean.
Elly is witty, creative, vulnerable; Enzo, having been bathed in the love of his large family back in Naples all his life, is warm hearted, funny, and perfect for Elly in so many ways. Elly and Enzo are together for ten years before they marry but for only one year after that.
I’m not revealing any spoilers by saying the story ranges back and forth in time, from Ellie living alone and selling off everything that reminds her of Enzo and their life together, to times before they met, to times when they were together. Their very different family backgrounds emerge as pieces in the puzzle of their lives.
Elly meets some interesting characters in the forms of people answering her ‘for sale’ ads. Every piece she is selling has meaning for her but it is important for her that they must go. Elly’s sadness is palpable and it was impossible for me not to sink into it with her, even before I knew what was behind the breakup.
Jonathan Seidler’s writing is in turn hilarious, naughty, hip (is that still a word?), sensitive and heartbreaking. I didn’t get any of the music references except Ed Sheeran but I did get why they were there and I went with the flow. I wish I could have taken longer to read the book but it wouldn’t let me go! It was brilliant!
Published by Pan Macmillan
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