When Ella married the handsome, celebrated artist Sebastian Montclair at just nineteen she was madly in love. Now, those blissful years of marriage have turned into the very definition of an unconventional set-up. Separated in every way but distance, Sebastian resides in an outhouse across the lawn from Ella’s ramshackle farmhouse. With an ex-husband living under her nose and a home crowded by hostile teenaged children, gender-confused chickens – not to mention her hyper critical mother whose own marriage slips spectacularly off the rails -Ella finds comfort in the company of the very charming gardener, Ludo. Then out of the blue Sebastian decides to move on, catching Ella horribly unawares. How much longer can she hide from what really destroyed her marriage . . . and the secret she continues to keep?
My Husband Next Door was my introduction to Catherine Alliott’s books so I wasn’t entirely sure what to except. It was an interesting premise. At the beginning of the book, I wasn’t sure where it was going to go but the further I got into the story, the more I couldn’t put it down.
The plot rolls out well but not slow enough that I lost interest.
Ella is a very conflicted character. At the start of her story, you think she has it very together when in fact, she’s not aware of what effect her actions are having on her family and it was heartbreaking to read at times. There were moments when I was cheering for her and other moments when she was frustrating the hell out of me.
There’s a great cast of supporting characters, which help the plot along nicely.
By the end, I was hoping everything was going to be OK for everyone. There were some sad moments, happy moments and parts, which made me full on laugh out loud.
Fans of Catherine I’m sure will love it and, if you, like me have never read one of her books before, give this one a go.
(My Husband Next Door by Catherine Alliott. 1st August, Trade paperback £12.99/ebook £7.99, Michael Joseph)
Novel Kicks is a blog for story tellers and book lovers.
Leave a Reply to Carol Peace Cancel reply