Reviewed by Helen Redfern...
Bigamy. Not the usual subject of a warm, feel good chick lit novel but Sheila O’Flanagan has produced an engaging read with Yours, Faithfully, exploring the bizarre relationship between two women married to the same man. The book also covers mother-daughter relationships and creating relationships with someone you wouldn’t have thought possible.
We are pulled into the lives of Iona and Sally both of whom are married to Frank. Sally has been married to him since they were very young and they have a teenage daughter, Jenna. Iona met and married Frank after a whirlwind romance four years ago. They are now trying for a baby. Neither wife knows about the other until Frank is involved in an accident.
When they learn of each other’s existence and meet in the hospital sparks fly, but then after a period of hatred towards what each calls ‘the other woman’ we see how their relationship develops and grows. As if having a husband in a coma and finding he is a bigamist isn’t enough Sally also has a major life change to deal with, much to Iona’s envy and Jenna, Sally’s teenage daughter’s, disapproval.
It is an unusual subject matter, and I had to slightly suspend my belief in order to read, but as Sally, Iona and Jenna journey through the maze of Frank’s coma and marriages, the reader is allowed a glimpse into his past, which actually makes Frank’s situation more credible. Siobhán, the policewoman investigating the case, brings an alternate perspective to the situation but also has her own problems to contend with.
As the story moves on O’Flanagan ensures you don’t wish to see one wife
succeed over another, rather we see, quite refreshingly in fact, two
women who in extreme circumstances and with every reason to dislike one
another, develop a friendship.
A handful of strong Irish characters combined with a well paced plot
make this book as satisfying as a rich, smooth, velvety ice-cream – an
ideal poolside read.
Rating: 4/5
Like this? Try Husbands by Adele Parks
