Samantha Carbon's debut novel is definitely one to look
forward to! All That Glitters was released in June and focuses on Sophie, who
is trying learn to trust men again after her divorce. But she always seems to
fall for the wrong man...
Whilst her professional life may be rich and rewarding, Sophie Jones, a trader's assistant at a multi-national bank in the City of London, cannot bring herself to think about the depressing husk that is her social life. Following her divorce from her abusive husband, thirty-seven year old Sophie finds herself drinking heavily to escape her deep-seated loneliness, and partying to excess in a vain effort to fill her evenings and weekends. So when she meets Mitch, a very ordinary and somewhat clumsy American financier, she is ill-prepared for the warm feelings of affection that begin to overwhelm her.
But this early flush of love is brought into sharp focus when Sophie learns that Mitch has a difficult ex-girlfriend and a two year old son called Toby, both of whom are living in Germany. And despite his proud responsibilities as a father, Mitch also seems to have a penchant for one night stands and passion fuelled flings; he is no then the ideal romantic candidate for a vulnerable woman still nursing
a broken heart.
So when Sophie convinces herself to take a huge leap of faith and embark upon a relationship with Mitch, she is shattered when her worst fears are quickly realised and she discovers that he has been sleeping with an eighteen year Zambian girl called Katie. Their drunken encounters are too much for Sophie to bear, and having given Mitch one last chance, only to have it sabotaged by Katie, she decides to banish Mitch from her life forever and to try to move on without him. But little does Sophie realise that her life is now intrinsically linked to both Mitch and Katie's; all three have been cast off on an emotional journey of self-discovery in which Sophie at least may learn that in absence the heart really does grow fonder.
