We All Live Here opening lines: There is a framed photograph on Lila’s bedside table that she hasn’t yet had the energy, or perhaps the inclination, to get rid of.
My blurb:
Lila’s life is complicated. Her ex-husband lives down the road, with his new partner and her child. Her step-father moved in to ‘fill the gap’ and now her father has made his appearance. All while Lila is trying to manage her children, write a book, and find romance. And that romance comes along in the form of a single dad. But is he all that he says he is, or is Lila about to have another man’s issues to deal with?
We All Live Here
Lila Kennedy has a lot on her plate. A recently broken marriage, two wayward daughters, a house that is falling apart, and an elderly stepfather who seems to have quietly moved in. Not to mention a once promising writing career that is now in freefall. So when her real dad – a man she has barely seen since he ran off to Hollywood thirty-five years ago – suddenly appears on her doorstep wanting to make amends, it feels like the final straw.But it turns out even the family you thought you could never forgive might have something to teach you: about love, friendship, and what it actually means to be family.
My verdict:
Sometimes romance is not where we expect it, and not in the person we are looking at. This is a lighthearted look at love, sex, relationships, and navigating a new modern world of step families and current ones. A great read from Jojo Moyes.
About the Author:
Jojo Moyes is a novelist and screenwriter. Her books include the bestsellers Me Before You, After You and Still Me, The One Plus One, The Giver of Stars, Someone Else’s Shoes, and her short story collection Paris for One and Other Stories. Jojo’s novels have been translated into forty-six languages, have hit the number one spot in twelve countries, and have sold over fifty-seven million copies worldwide. Me Before You has now sold over fourteen million copies worldwide and was adapted into a major film starring Sam Claflin and Emilia Clarke. In 2023, Jojo joined BBC Maestro’s online platform of world-class experts with her course, Writing Love Stories, which is available now. Jojo lives in the UK.
Read an extract:
“There is a framed photograph on Lila’s bedside table that she hasn’t yet had the energy – or perhaps the inclination – to get rid of. Four faces squished together in front of an enormous aquarium in some foreign holiday attraction – she forgets where now – a shoal of enormous iridescent stripy fish gazing blankly from behind them. Violet, pushing up her nose with one finger and pulling down the lower lids of her eyes so that she looks like a grotesque waxwork, Celie, in a Breton shirt, also pulling a face, although given she must have been thirteen by then, a little more self-consciously, Lila smiling vainly, as if hoping that this will be a lovely family shot despite all the evidence, and Dan, his smile not quite reaching his eyes, his expression enigmatic, his hand resting on Violet’s t-shirted shoulder.
Publishing information:
Penguin Random House South Africa sent me this novel to review.
See the links below for blog posts I published on May 11:
- 2023: Slow Roasted Brisket
- 2022: Food That Loves You Back
- 2020: Warm Aubergine Salad
- 2018: Yeasted Flat Breads
- 2016: Zucchini Restaurant
- 2015: Gorgonzola Ice Cream
- 2012: Lovage
- 2011: Borage
Well, it’s not something I read, but I agree, that Lila’s life is too complicated…
It really is!
Hmm, I’m not usually much for romance, but I might give this one a try… Thanks for the thoughtful review, as always!
Thank you for taking the time to read it!