Anybody Out There?

Written by Marian Keyes, Anybody Out There is a wonderfully easy–to-read book that’s filled with kooky outfits, loss, grief, romance, and progress. I loved it from start to finish. 

Anna Walsh is back in Ireland, living with her parents whilst she recovers from a terrible accident, but where she really wants to be is back in New York with her Most Fabulous Job In the World and her gorgeous husband, Aidan. But when Anna finally gets back to New York, she realises that her simple and perfect life is not so anymore. Not only is her return to New York complicated by her physical and emotional scars, but Aidan has disappeared completely. As time goes on, Anna suddenly realises that her accident has changed her life forever and she’s not sure she can ever bounce back. 

When I was reading this book, I felt like I was reading PS I Love You all over again. The book itself is remarkably easy and light, and the story is a wonderfully simple one that’s very down-to-earth, easy to relate to, and has a lovely message about love. It’s the type of book that you can curl up in a sun-soaked corner with a cup of tea and read for a few hours without feeling like any time is elapsing. In short, reading this book creates a great wave on warm contentment… well it will for women at least. 

The book is written in the first person, giving the reader an insight into what it feels like to be Anna and seeing the world through her eyes. There is really no other register in which this book could be written as the central themes of loss and love are on a too strong emotional level and the second or third person register could not convey the power of these themes. This makes the book all the more gripping and hard to put down. 

The only thing about the book that didn’t agree with me was the length. Don’t get me wrong, I got through the entire thing in just under two weeks, but I did not feel that the entire story, though set over the period of one year, needed just under 600 pages to be told over. After about halfway into Part Two, there was a period where I was like “the story doesn’t really need this”. Aside from that, everything else was lovely. 

Filled with love, great outfits, The Best Job in the World, romance, marriage, and a lovely birth, Anybody Out There was a wonderful book that was incredibly easy to read and that I simply could not put down.