Reviewed by Chun Yin Wah
Reading Anybody Out There by Marian Keyes (2006, Penguin, 593 pages) transformed me into a big fan of this author. It's easily one of the best books I've read recently.
Seriously injured in a New York traffic accident, Anna Walsh is shipped to her family in Ireland to recover. Life at home isn't entirely boring. A younger sister, Helen, operates a private-investigation business with a home office at their parents' place. Mom pitches in to help so as to enter homes, checking the kitchens and closets to satisfy her curiosity about other people's business.
Despite discomfort and being too stiff to walk, Anna's anxious to return to New York where she works for a PR company. Her main duty is to court beauty editors to cover the products her company represents. Anna has an older sister, Rachel, and best friend, Jacqui, to care for her in New York.
Once back in the Big Apple, she calls her husband Aidan and asks him to return. She needs pain-killers to allow her to work or sleep. Mostly, she refuses to go out while sending daily emails and mobile phone messages to Aidan. When his mobile phone is cut off because no one paid the bill, the reality hits that Aidan died in the same accident that injured Anna. She's lost the love of her life.
Adrift and unable to hear Aidan's voice on the phone's recorded message, Anna chases other options. She tries psychics, but realizes they don't deliver results. Later she joins the Church of Spiritualist Communication where the members use a medium to converse with lost relatives, but still doesn't hear from Aidan.
In the group, Anna meets Mitch who has lost his wife. After church gatherings, they hang out together, but without really talking.
Soon Anna's career accelerates and Jacqui gets pregnant. Anna avoids talking to Aidan's family until his younger brother calls, warns of bad news and asks to see her.
Anybody Out There explores love and loss, how to cope, move on and let time heal. It's a sad story, witty and beautifully written, that makes you value people and yearn to express love before time expires.
Approval rating: 89 per cent.
For more information: www.penguin.com
(December 25, 2008)
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