Watermelon by Marian Keyes

I just love Marian Keyes.  She has a great writing style, and she’s funny.  Last year for Book Club we read Anybody Out There, which was about Anna Walsh – and we discovered that Marian has written books about all the Walsh sisters (except Helen, we’re all hoping she does that sometime soon).  We chose Watermelon not only because it was the first book about the Walsh sisters (and Marian’s first, also, I think), but also because one of our members loved it.

I really enjoyed it – it was a fast read…I took it on vacation with me and zipped right though it.  It surprises me that there’s no reading guide associated with it, because it brings up a lot of relevant questions.  We argued a little bit at our discussion about the nature of this woman’s problems.  Her husband, you see, leaves her immediately after the birth of their first child, and madness ensues.  Alot of us couldn’t get past that.  She completely crumbles (realistic enough) and bounces back, even meets a new guy and has a chance at love…until her ex comes back into the picture.  For me, the circumstances surrounding his return were far-fetched, and if my husband had come back to me the way this woman’s did her – I would’ve kicked him out of my life.  I wouldn’t have allowed him to come back.  But the character, who’s supposed to be independent and strong, from an equally strong Irish family, backs down and questions the very essence of herself, which I (and other readers in our group) found uncharacteristic for her, given her previous descriptions.  Overall, though, I liked the book.  And it sparked great discussion for our group.