I really liked it. You Are Here by David Nicholls is wonderful story of finding love in the most unexpected of companies.
Marnie and Michael are divorced. She is lonely, and spends months without seeing another human, cooped up in her apartment, working on her freelance copy-editing job. He is a teacher still living in the apartment he shared with his ex-wife, and goes on lonely walks to get out of the place and be alone in the outdoors. Their mutual friend Cleo imposingly invites her and a few others to go on a long coast to coast walk with him.
It’s not what either of them wants, but I enjoyed the awkwardness of Marnie getting ready for the excursion. Sometimes, it takes a little spark of fear to remind homebodies to remind them that they’re not likely to suddenly end up with a booming social life, and I found this process relatable. From her shopping around for sporty equipment to practicing jokes and conversational statements ahead of the journey, I found myself sympathizing with her. Michael is a bit more introspective and not as interested in the social aspect of this walk, but he tries, so I kind of warmed up to his efforts, but it did take me longer to get invested in him. But both of them come with their own baggage, and when they find themselves in the unlikely situation of being walking partners, the space and time helps them open up to each other.
Nicholls has created layers and layers to their personalities and past, and I loved how they awkwardly flirted and found themselves wanting each other’s company. There’s a lot of heartache in the past they discuss, and the dialogue in the book is so natural that the dialogue heavy chunks are my favorite. Generally, they aren’t, but there was some good magic worked by the author here, and I sometimes found myself revisiting those parts just to soak in the conversation for a second time.
The way every part of the walk is shown is nothing short of artistic, from describing the view to the weather conditions, to how Marnie felt, and there was a little meltdown she had in the beginning that was simply hilarious. If you’ve ever gone all in on any new physical activity too soon, you will totally get it. In all honestly, I am chuckling as I remember that part right now.
There’s a but here. While I loved the fiddly falling in love process, I do think the book could have been at least fifty pages short. The pacing went off the rails slightly at the end, and tightening it up would’ve easily put this on my top reads of the year. Oh, well.
That’s just a minor reservation, but the book did put in my mind the idea of following the route Michael mapped out in the book. It was intimate, and I enjoyed watching them get more than they imagined out of it. It’s a funny, poignant, and lovable character-driven romance of unexpected love. Recommended.
I received an ARC of this book from the author/publisher. Quotes, if any, are taken from the ARC and are subject to change upon publication.
This title was published by Sceptre Books in the U.K. April 2024, and by Harper in the U.S. in May 2024.
LINKS
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