Sorrow and Bliss

Fourth Estate, 2020. Good secondhand condition.

An intriguingly sharp, dark, tender, witty, incisive and very, very moving novel. This novel is about a woman called Martha. She knows there is something wrong with her but she doesn't know what it is. Her husband Patrick thinks she is fine. He says everyone has something, the thing is just to keep going. Martha told Patrick before they got married that she didn't want to have children. He said he didn't mind either way because he has loved her since he was 13 and making her happy is all that matters, although he does not seem able to do it. Eventually, Martha finds out what is wrong, understands that she's gone through life missing a crucial piece of information about herself. But now she knows, it's too late. But maybe it will turn out that you can stop loving somebody and start again, from nothing. That you can love the same person twice. The book is set in London and Oxford. It is sad and funny.