LIZZIE READS … NEVER GREENER

#LizzieReads

This was another pleasant and surprising read I did not expect to enjoy as much as I did.

Switching between 1985, 2003 and eventually 2017, Ruth Jones (Ness in Gavin and Stacey!) delivers a poignant read based on friendship, romance and lives intertwined throughout a lifetime involving Kate and Callum, many years her senior. 

She is a budding actress; he is a school teacher.

But, Callum is married. 

They embark on an affair, as Callum cheats on his beloved wife Belinda and their darling children, one of them the newborn Ailsa. That’s until Belinda finds out, but astonishingly gives him a second chance…

Switching between 1985 and 2003, we see Kate is now married to Matt, but it turns out he has secrets of his own.

There is the charming Hetty, Matt’s friend, and d*ckhead Adam who portrays one of ‘those’ blokes you are bound to come across in your lifetime: cocky, selfish and a sad idiot.

The story mainly focuses on Kate and Callum who have now rekindled their affair: she is now a successful, recognised actress based in London whilst he is a Headteacher in Scotland.

Kate is not likeable in the slightest, especially when we see how keen she is for their affair to continue and for him to be hers, going so far as to ask him to take a family photo of her, Matt and daughter Tallulah in Scotland; also later on when she comes into contact with Callum’s grown up children.

B*tch.

I was surprised to find myself wanting to carry on reading this, because at first I wasn’t too interested in the characters’ situation, I think purely because they are slightly older and have children (something I have not yet experienced), yet the story is somewhat realistic, albeit Kate as a prolific actress.

The transition between the years work well, as we begin to learn why the characters are where they are and who they are now. 

My particular favourite character is Hetty, who simply doesn’t realise who loves her and whom she loves – look out for that if you fancy the read!

A light-hearted and devastating read: something I could definitely see on the small screen.

rating – 4.5/5 (I think it would be a full 5 if I could relate to the age bracket)
genre – domestic fiction, romance