It has stirred a deeper thought-process in me which I can't quite put my finger on yet - I think it is something to do with if you pretend to be someone you are not, can it really turn you into that person? A kind of 'fake it til you make it' approach as happened with Nick when he pretended to become a better man and actually found he had become one.
I had avoided reading any other reviews of this book until I finished it as I didn't want any spoilers. Then part way through the book, I turned to the back cover and read the summary there. I found myself surprised to see that it reveals that Maya finds out what Nick has been up to. I was naively assuming that once things were going well, that they would happily stay that way.
But of course, all good novels have their ups and downs and twists and turns.
The key characters in the book are Nick and Maya and whilst their lifestyle is not one I can relate to (think Nannies, boathouse, numerous cars, gym memberships and designer clothes), their situation of drifting apart once kids arrive on the scene is one that I think a lot of people would be able to relate to. As Maya throws herself into meeting the needs of the twins (albeit with a nanny on hand), Nick escapes more and more into his successful career until he is hardly present at all at home, working late and even when he is there he is not emotionally engaged in family life.
Deciding he wants out, he seeks advice about getting a divorce only to find that it is going to cost him a huge amount financially. That's when he puts into motion a plan to become a better man in order for Maya to become more self-sufficient and for the divorce to ultimately cost him a lot less.
I don't want to give away any spoilers but this really is an enjoyable read, easy to get into and hard to put down once you've started reading it.
You can read what others thought of A Better Man here.
I'm with you. It was my favourite read from Britmums Book Club. I think because it is closest to my usual reading genre, although I do like pushing my reading boundaries
ReplyDeleteI think my absolute favourites so far would be 'Above All Things' and Clare Balding's autobiography but this was up there amongst the ones I've enjoyed most. x
DeleteGood to read your review. You already know what I thought. It did get me back into reading after a dry spell on that score so great from that point of view. I love your idea about not reading the back cover and may well try this from now on.
ReplyDeleteI do usually read the back covers but for some reason i hadn't until part way through. x
DeleteFake it till you make it a brilliant summary of Nick's evolution. I agree with you it is a great read.
ReplyDeletethanks Jac x
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