The Way We Were By Sinead Moriarty

[amazon_link id=”1844883493″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’The Way We Were’ is the latest book by Sinead Moriarty.

‘He needed something else. He wanted more.’ Alice and Ben are a couple like any other bound together by love, work, children, familiarity and a shared sense of purpose. But when Ben decides to pursue a dream of his own, he brings devastation on his family and, as far as they know, their lives will never be the same again. Alice and Ben are now on different paths: she needs to put their shared life behind her; he needs to remember it to survive. So, what happens if they get a second chance? Can they – should they – go back to the way they were?

Sinead is back with another cracking story that was well worthy of the number one spot in the Irish bestselling book charts.

In ‘The Way We Were’ we see busy mother of two Alice struggle between a busy career of being the local GP as well as mother to her two daughters, domineering and outspoken Jools and highly intelligent but quiet Holly. When she’s not trying to placate her eldest daughter and give into her demands, she is trying to understand why her husband Ben, feels that his life is suddenly lacking in something. The life of a father of two as well as being a successful surgeon is not for him. So when the opportunity arises to go to Eritrea to perform a lifesaving operation, Ben jumps at the chance much to Alice’s objections. Taking the opportunity of the lifetime, has the disastrous effect consequences on Ben and his Irish colleague Declan as they fight for their lives meanwhile Alice and her daughters have to deal with the realisation that Ben is no longer around.

The story is cleverly seen through the eyes of all the members of the family as they all deal with the changes in their lives. Alice is a strong woman who is trying to cope with her difficult and quiet daughters whilst trying to maintain her career. Holly adds an injection of sensitivity to the story with her quiet words and random facts about Eritria whilst Jools struggles to carry on as normal and regularly has outbursts with her more sensitive younger sister. Meanwhile Ben is trapped in another world, regretting his decision and wishing he was back in the arms of his loving family. The story deals with many emotions, mainly love and loss and but there is the odd moment of humour when Alice’s best friend and brother tries to cheer his sister up.

I’ve been a fan of Sinead’s books for years and like her previous books, this book consumed me so much that I read it in a day. It flows at a gentle and sensitive pace that makes for poignant reading, filled with drama, shocks and unwanted emotions. A compelling story about love, regrets and starting over, ‘The Way We Were’ is a beautifully written and thought provoking that made for captivating reading.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”1844883493″ target=”_blank” ]The Way We Were from Amazon [/amazon_link] and is available to buy from good bookshops.