A Song of Me & You by Mike Gayle
Published by Hodder & Stoughton
Publication Date: 25th April 2024 (paperback)
Book Description:
Helen and Ben parted as heartbroken 18-year-olds and went their very separate ways.
Twenty years later, mother-of-two-teenagers Helen is still in Manchester, a part-time primary teacher, stunned by the behaviour of her love-rat husband. In an old T shirt and scruffy jeans, she feels at the lowest point in her life.
And suddenly, impossibly, Ben is standing on her doorstep. Tired maybe, lonely even, but clearly still the world-famous, LA-based multi-millionaire rockstar he has become.
Can you ever go back?
For Helen and Ben, so much has happened in the years between. But just to sit in the kitchen for a while and talk - that would be nice.
My Thoughts:
Mike Gayle writes a tale that, while reading the synopsis you think nah, that would never happen, but once you start turning the pages it all becomes absolutely credible. The characters are entirely relatable, the scenarios are very real and the reader is totally drawn into the world the author has created.
Ben and Helen were at school together, studying for their A-levels when they fell for each other, and being their first experience of love they fell hard. But, as is often the case, real life dumped a ton of lemons on them they were forced to go their separate ways in order to pursue their goals, Helen staying in Manchester for university and Ben leaving for London after a nasty argument with his dad. Fast forward 20 years and the question comes: did either of them get what they really wanted out of life? Helen has been cheated on by her husband, being cruelly dumped for the cliche younger model, while Ben is finding out that all the trappings of being a world famous rock star don't necessarily bring happiness. So how come Ben has suddenly turned up on Helen's doorstep, with seemingly nowhere else to go after fleeing the celebrity scene and needing to lay low?
This book is an excellent insight into what truly makes us happy. Helen's 2 teenage children can't believe their mum used to be cool enough to date an international rock star, and Ben hasn't had a decent relationship with his family for many years after a huge argument created a seemingly insurmountable divide. And how does Helen's soon-to-be ex-husband feel about things? Adam quickly shows his true colours when he discovers Helen has a new house guest - but is that really who he is, or is he just feeling threatened and trying to justify his own actions by hitting out at Helen's situation?
I had the pleasure of listening to Mike Gayle discussing this book at an event at Waterstones in Worcester on 6th June, and there were some interesting discussions about various aspects of the book and the whole writing process. If you get the opportunity to attend one of Mike's events I thoroughly recommend you go as he's a really down to earth guy who kept us entertained for the evening. Sadly I was only part way through the book at that point, so was unable to tell him off for making me cry AGAIN at certain parts of the book - fortunately I was in the privacy of my own home this time, not my local library so that was something!
I love the way Mike Gayle writes, and with this being only the second of his novels I've read I am delighted to know I have another 16 books to catch up with for when I'm in the mood for laughing and crying in equal measure.
About the Author:
MIKE GAYLE was born and raised in,Birmingham. After graduating from Salford University with a degree in Sociology, he moved to London to pursue a career in journalism and worked as a features editor and agony uncle. He has written for a variety of publications including The Sunday Times, the Guardian and Cosmopolitan. Mike became a full-time novelist in 1997 following the publication of his Sunday Times top ten bestseller My Legendary Girlfriend, which was hailed by the Independent as ‘full of belly laughs and painfully acute observations’, and by The Times as ‘a funny, frank account of a hopeless romantic’. Since then he has written eighteen novels, including The Man I Think I Know, selected as a World Book Night title, and Half A World Away, selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club. His books have been translated into more than thirty languages. In 2021, Mike was the recipient of the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Romantic Novelists’ Association. He lives in Birmingham with his wife, kids and greyhound. You can find him online at mikegayle.co.uk and on Twitter @mikegayle.
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