Somewhere Inside Of Happy By Anna McPartlin

[amazon_link id=”0552777382″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’Somewhere Inside Of Happy’ is the latest book by bestselling author, Anna McPartlin.

Maisie Bean is a fighter. A survivor. Seventeen years ago, she went on a first date that went so badly it was enough to put the girl off chips. The marriage that followed was hell but it gave her two children: funny, caring Jeremy and bullish but brilliant Valerie. Just as it seems everything might finally start going right, sixteen-year-old Jeremy goes missing. The police descend and a media storm swirls, over five days of searching that hurtle towards an inevitable, terrible conclusion. Maisie is facing another fight, and this time it’s the fight of her life. But she’s a survivor. Whatever the odds, she’ll never give in.

I’m writing this review through blurred eyes as tears are currently streaming down my face, so if it doesn’t make sense, don’t blame me, blame Anna, for writing such emotional story that left me in a blubbering mess, weeping into a One Sheet paper towel, much to by boyfriends bemusement.

After reading Anna’s previous book, ‘The Last Days Of Rabbit Hayes’ which also left me in tears, I knew her latest offering would be far from an easy ride, especially after the reviews and the feedback on Twitter.

The story follows the Bean family, after the unexpected disappearance of Maisie’s eldest child, Jeremy, who disappears with his best friend Rave.

The narrative is seen through the eyes of Maisie, her daughter Valerie, mother Bridie, Jeremy and the people they meet along the way as they try to understand why Jeremy, a reliable, gentle soul would leave with no explanation.

Like Anna’s previous book, the story has a strong female lead who has faced a life of struggles. This time, Maisie has managed to escape her abusive husband and has moved on with her two children and her mother, who suffers from dementia. Damaged from her past, she feels unworthy of love and is surprised by local guard Fred Brennan expresses an interest in her, particularly as he rescued her from her old life. Young daughter, Valerie is a wonderfully volatile character, bolshy with a quick tongue, she adds an injection of dark humour to the sad tale and her intersections with her grandmother make for entertaining reading. Bridie is an interesting character, as she breezes in and out of the dementia, going from a young woman to a frail old woman.

This inspirational story is set in Dublin in 1990’s and Anna really sets of the scene of the neighbourhood and setting perfectly. Filled with interesting characters, witty dialogue and narrative, the book flows at a gentle pace regularly leaving the reader on their toes as the story weaves through twists and turns, experiencing various waves of emotion throughout this warm Irish story

A beautifully written compassionate and sympathetic tale that deals sensitively with issues of domestic abuse, dementia and homosexuality, ‘Somewhere Inside Of Happy’ is an emotionally uplifting and heartbreaking story that leaves the reader wrecked but longing for more.

You can pre-order[amazon_link id=”0552777382″ target=”_blank” ]Somewhere Inside of Happy from Amazon [/amazon_link] and is available to buy from good bookshops.