What’s it all about?:
I am a mess of tears on the train. Can’t remember the last time a book broke my heart so much… (Lucy Dillon on Away from You) Perfect for fans of Adele Parks and Maggie O’Farrell.
Since their youngest son, Teddy, was diagnosed with a life-defining illness, Anna has been fighting: against the friends who don’t know how to help; against the team assigned to Teddy’s care who constantly watch over Anna’s parenting; and against the impulse to put Teddy above all else – including his older brother, the watchful, sensitive Isaac.
And now Anna can’t seem to stop fighting against her husband, the one person who should be able to understand, but who somehow manages to carry on when Anna feels like she is suffocating under the weight of all the things that Teddy will never be able to do.
As Anna helplessly pushes Tom away, he can’t help but feel the absence of the simple familiarity that should come so easily, and must face the question: is it worse to stay in an unhappy marriage, or leave?
What did I think?:
Hello everyone and welcome to my blog tour stop today for this fantastic and emotional novel by Kay Langdale. Thank you so much to Jasmine Marsh and Hodder & Stoughton for inviting me to take part in this tour and providing me with a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review. It’s no secret that I love a story that deals with difficult subjects and when I read the synopsis of The Way Back To Us I knew I simply had to be on board. In my day job, I work for Great Ormond Street Hospital where I come across a number of children who have very serious and rare diseases. Reading fiction for me is normally a great escape from the real world that I have to face but, for a change, I thought it would be interesting to read a fictionalised account of a child with a life-limiting illness. I had high expectations and I’m happy to say they were completely fulfilled – this is a moving, addictive read that had me completely wrapped up in the characters lives and even better, it was one hundred percent believable.
The Way Back To Us mainly focuses on Anna, mother of Isaac and Teddy and wife to Tom (although we hear from a number of perspectives, including the boys themselves). When Teddy was born he seemed like a normal, healthy baby until it was noticed that he wasn’t quite making those huge developmental milestones. After a barrage of tests and investigations, Teddy is diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2 (SMA) which is characterised by progressive muscle weakness across the entire body, breathing issues, feeding difficulties and skeletal abnormalities. Teddy cannot stand or walk without help and relies heavily on his wheelchair and the constant loving care of his mother to get through every day and have some sense of normality in his life although what he can do is severely limited compared to his older brother, Isaac.
The story follows Anna as she struggles with daily life looking after Teddy and making sure he has the best possible life despite his sad circumstances. Everybody in the family is affected by Teddy’s illness, including Isaac who is often left to manage by himself completely unintentionally because of the level of care and dedication needed to look after Teddy. To add to her worries, Anna and her husband Tom’s relationship seems to have hit a new level of “broken beyond repair.” She takes all the responsibility of looking after Teddy upon herself and refuses to allow him in or admit that she needs help. As a result, their marriage is incredibly fragile and is teetering on the edge of disintegrating completely. Can Anna and Tom address the issues in their relationship and start to talk to each other again or is has what they once had as a couple disappeared for good?
The Way Back To Us was such a poignant and beautiful read. I adored the characters, especially the boys, Teddy and Isaac and really felt for all parties in their horrific situation. It’s true, I did feel like shaking Anna and Tom at points, especially when as a reader you could see everything that was going wrong and what the other person could potentially do to fix it….then they did the exact opposite! This frustration that I mention is only in a good way I assure you, it certainly motivated me to keep reading whilst praying that everything turned out well for the family in the end. The author has obviously done her research into a condition that is obviously distressing and heart-breaking and because of her meticulous plot and flawed but very “real” characters, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey she took me on and found this a hugely powerful read.
Would I recommend it?:
But of course!
Star rating (out of 5):
AUTHOR INFORMATION
Kay Langdale was born in Coventry, England.
From a young age she loved to read and to write.
She attended Bedford College, London University, graduating with a first class degree in English Literature and then went to Oxford University where she completed a doctorate on Samuel Beckett’s prose fiction. She briefly taught twentieth century literature at St Edmund Hall, Oxford before beginning work as an account handler and copywriter at a brand consultancy.
She is married to a South African entrepreneur, with whom she has four children who are now mostly grown. Kay divides her time between their homes in Oxfordshire and Devon.
Now writing her eighth novel, Kay also works as an editor for the charity The Children’s Radio Foundation which trains young broadcasters in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
When not writing Kay enjoys running, ballet barre, yoga, swimming, coastal walking, learning Italian, cooking and reading. Always reading.
Find Kay on GoodReads at : https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/862970.Kay_Langdale
on her website at: https://kaylangdale.com/
on Twitter at: @kaylangdale
Thank you once again to Hodder & Stoughton for inviting me to take part in this blog tour, I’ve had a great time doing it. The Way Back To Us was published on 10th August 2017 and is available from all good book retailers now. Why not check out some of the other stops on the tour?
GoodReads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35382450-the-way-back-to-us?ac=1&from_search=true