Mad About You By Sinead Moriarty

[amazon_link id=”1844882969″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’Mad About You’ is the ninth book by Irish author, Sinead Moriarty.

In their ten years of marriage, Emma and James have weathered lots of storms. From not having babies, to have two in a year. From career highs to the trauma of having to move countries when James loses his job. Somehow they have always worked as a team. However, leaving Ireland puts them under strain like they had never imagined and Emma is finding adapting to London hard. So when James starts getting texts from a stranger, texts that show insights into their lives. Emma is not sure what to think. Before long she is questioning everything. Maybe the stranger is telling her the truth and the life she believed to be solid and secure is just a mirage. Somehow, Emma has to get a grip but how can she do that when someone is set on driving her out of her home and marriage.

What is it about Irish female authors, whose books are usually quite lighthearted have suddenly decided to make their books a bit darker? First, Claudia Carroll did it with her book, ‘Me And You’ and now Sinead Moriarty has done it with her new book ‘Mad About You’

In her previous books, Sinead has always touched upon serious issues, such as child adduction and eating disorders, but with her sensitive issues she always writes with humour and grace, making the quite intense story feel not as heavy.

In ‘Mad About You’, we see the lead character, Emma a bubbly make up artist become the subject of a stalker, who sends her threatening texts, peculiar parcels and makes her feel unease in the big city of London and cause her to doubt her life particularly her close relationship with her husband James, who is constantly busy with his new job, working late nights to prove his worth. Emma is then left to wonder if he is indeed working late, or is the new life that they have been leading all been a lie? As a lead character, I thought Emma was a sweetheart as she struggled to adjust to the busy world and try to make new friends, we see a shy woman eager to make friends and be accepted whilst dealing with the threat of her world being pulled away from her and also wondering if everyone is a suspect. The scenes where we were see her weak moments can make for upsetting reading as she tries to maintain some rationality and calmness but the sheer panic of the situation can overtake all especially when her family is at stake.

Barbara, Emma’s younger sister added the light hearted element to the story and injects some humour to the tale, with her outspoken and bolshy attitude to people especially in her job as clothes stylist on a television programme called ‘How To Look Good With Your Clothes On’, where she takes no prisoners and really tells people what she thinks, which can make for hilarious or just awkward moments where you wonder “Did she really just say that?”. Carol and Poppy, who become Emma’s new friends are two interesting characters, both completely different Carol with her organic vegetables and care for environment whilst Poppy is on a quest to find a new rich husband who can quench her thirst for all things designer, these women provide a welcome distraction to Emma’s ordeal and welcome the young Irish mother to the neighbourhood. Meanwhile, the new addition to the family is Claire, the young, innocent childminder, who both children adore and is always there to help in a crisis. And finally there is James, the new rugby manager for London Irish who works hard to prove himself in his new job, but with Emma and the kids, is a warmhearted and charismatic man.

Throughout the story even with the lighthearted scenes there is an element of tension, as Emma tries to keep a grip on her sanity and keep her family safe.

A wonderfully gripping and intriguing story about stalkers, intrusion and importance of family values, ‘Mad About You’ is another great tale from one of Ireland’s finest authors and will have you pulling your loved ones closer when you reach the final page.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”1844882969″ target=”_blank” ]Mad About You from Amazon [/amazon_link]and is available to buy from good bookshops.