Marian Keyes

I'd not read a Marian Keyes novel before, but thought I'd give one a chance having liked her voice on Twitter. That voice is certainly on display in The Mystery of Mercy Close, but it's far less charming here.

The main character, Helen Walsh, is a private investigator in her early 30s who's fallen on hard financial times thanks to the economic recession. Out of desperation, she accepts a job from her ex, Jay, who is organising the reunion of a washed-up '90s boyband but has mislaid one of show more the members just days before a vital reunion gig. Helen launches into this missing-person investigation, all while navigating the on-set of clinical depression and the early days of a relationship with a divorced dad.

So far so intriguing, but while there are some occasionally funny bits I found myself increasingly exasperated with The Mystery of Mercy Close the more I read of it. First, the "mystery" is just far too easy to figure out—and I'm never one to guess who/whydunnit. I shouldn't spend most of the book reminding Helen of the very simple evidence that points out where Wayne is.

But beyond that, even allowing for the effects of a depressive episode, Helen just seemed like an asshole, the kind who's smugly convinced that shunning of mainstream anything is proof of her own uniqueness. There was the distinct whiff of Keyes ladling just a bit more quirk onto her character (and indeed, onto most of the characters in the book) than they could support and retain any claim to verisimilitude.

And then there were the nasty strains of racism/Islamophobia, transphobia, and homophobia throughout which I think we were supposed to find... endearing? funny? "authentically Irish"? I just found them distasteful. show less

I seem to have come of (a certain) age early - this was my first foray into the fluffy pink world of chick lit, all 600+ pages, and I enjoyed it! Marian Keyes is a witty, insightful writer, and her characters really come to life. Pure escapism, but not overly romantic or ridiculous.

The lives of three women are connected by books - Gemma and Lily, once best friends, are writing their first novels, and Jojo, a glamorous yet approachable literary agent, helps them to get their work published. show more The separate threads of the story are neatly woven together, with no trite happy endings or impossible coincidences. Life for all three does eventually work out for the best, but the reader is happy for good things to come to them. Gemma and Lily's narratives are given individual 'voices', whereas Jojo - perhaps because she would be too intimidating in first person - is presented via quick-fire dialogue and her interaction with the other characters. I loved them all - Gemma's fantasies and high-maintenance mother, Lily's distinctive appearance and wonderful boyfriend, and Jojo's spirit.

A very funny and engaging read from start to finish. I might have to read more from this author, now that my prejudiced opinion of chick lit has been challenged! show less

A mostly amiable and low-key amusing collection of short essays, ideal for an ex-pat who's missing being surrounded by Irish voices and diction. (Though Marian Keyes never actually explains what words like stocious, wan, yoke, etc. mean so parts might be confusing for non-Irish people.) The essays about Keyes' battles with depression and alcoholism are less frothy pieces than the pink cover might lead you to expect, but that's par for the course with her style of writing. The one real bum show more note is the very last piece, about a trip which she and her husband made to Vietnam—it takes a patronising, infantilising approach to the Vietnamese which earlier pieces in the book criticise the English for adopting towards the Irish. show less

Marian Keyes is a very funny writer, and like so many of her books, this one manages to deal with a serious subject and still be tremendously entertaining. The serious subject here is drug and alcohol addiction. In New York Irish ex-pat Rachel Walsh's life devolves as she develops cocaine and alcohol addictions. After losing her job, her boyfriend, and her best friend, Rachel finds herself back in Ireland in treatment. Refusing to believe that she is an addict, Rachel agrees to treatment show more only because she thinks she might see celebrities. What follows are Rachel's comic misadventures as an addict in denial while in treatment, interspersed with the story of how she became an addict.

Keyes has an amazing ability to bring humor to horrible situations, and this is a book to read when you need a pick-me-up. The ending is a bit unbelievable, but the book is by and large light and fun reading. show less