Wow! The Brink is definitely my favourite book I have read so far this year. I loved, loved, loved it! And now I am sorely missing it, especially as it is such a fresh and addictive book to escape into.
Written by Jamie Fewery, The Brink is the bittersweet love story of Dan and Anya Moorcroft who, after 15 years of being together and two kids, are on the very brink of divorce. Even though each of them have had an affair and are now living separately, they are sick of all the arguing and bickering and want to have as much of an amicable, humane divorce as possible. That is why they decide to use a mediation service to divorce, each supported by a lawyer.
Over two days, Dan and Anya sit across from each other in a plush lawyers office and facilitated by Margot, a divorce mediator, dissect their relationship to decide who gets what. It gets messy and uncomfortable as they discuss money, custody of the children and what actually went wrong in their marriage. But what Dan and Anya don’t expect is for Margot to encourage them to remember their happier times together, what actually brought them together and what made their relationship work until recently.
Brilliantly structured into separate sections and juxtaposed between now and snapshots of the past, the addictive narrative explores all aspects of Dan and Anya’s relationship: sex, home, money, family, us.
As a reader I felt I really got to know Dan and Anya, as individuals in their own right but also as a couple. I really liked each of them and even though I have finished reading the book, I’m not actually ready to let them go. I genuinely connected with both of these characters emotionally and felt each of their frustrations, anger, confusion, fear and sadness. I also felt their love and respect for each other and their joy and happiness as they explored their past relationship.
As Dan and Anya work through the mediation, they begin to wonder if there is something in their relationship that is worth saving after all.
The Brink is Jamie Fewery’s third novel. I will definitely be reading his previous two novels now as I loved his writing style, it is so fresh and engaging. As I mentioned earlier The Brink is my favourite book I have read so far this year.
Thank you to Olivia Le Maistre from Legend Press for inviting me to the blog tour of The Brink. Thank you also for my gifted proof copy. This is a book I will cherish and reread.
The Brink was released on 4 May 2023. I urge you all to read it! 🙂
To follow the blog tour, please see below.
