Michael is coming undone. Adrift after his wife’s departure, he has begun taking himself on long, solitary walks across the English countryside. Becoming ever more reclusive, he’ll do anything to avoid his empty house.
Marnie, on the other hand, is stuck. Hiding alone in her London flat, she avoids old friends and any reminders of her rotten, selfish ex-husband. Curled up with a good book, she’s battling the long afternoons of a life that feels like it’s passing her by.
When a persistent mutual friend and some very unpredictable weather conspire to toss Michael and Marnie together on the most epic of ten-day hikes, neither of them can think of anything worse. Until, of course, they discover exactly what they’ve been looking for.
Michael and Marnie are on the precipice of a bright future . . . if they can survive the journey.
After reading One Day earlier on this year and loving it, I knew I had to give David Nicholls’ latest release a read and I’m so glad that I did. It is a beautiful story of friendship, starting again and saying goodbye to the past. It was a joy to read.
Michael is unsure of what to do. Since his wife left, he has begun taking himself on long, solitary walks and becoming more reclusive. Marnie on the other hand is stuck. She hides alone in her London flat, avoids friends and any reminders of her ex-husband. Marnie feels like life is passing her by.
When a mutual friend conspire to toss Michael and Marnie together on a ten-day hike, neither of them can think of anything worse. Until, they discover exactly what they’ve been looking for.
In truth, it took me quite a while to get into this book. I started it and although it was enjoyable I wasn’t entirely taken by it until around 150 pages in. I think this was due to the fact there was a lot of getting to know the characters, one of which was very closed off, and it felt like it dragged during the first half.
As soon as I hit the halfway mark in this book though, I was completely taken by the characters, their stories and their journeys. I couldn’t put it down and I’m so glad that I persisted with it. The second half of the book was such a joy and I loved it.
I enjoyed that the chapters alternate between each of the main characters. Marnie is hilarious and I loved her but at times I did feel quite annoyed by her. She begins the book self-centred which angered me at times but this does change as we progress through the story which helped change my mind on her. I could not get along with Michael until the halfway point of the book. He was so closed off that it was hard to get to know him. But, as we see him open up you can’t help but love him. He went from being my least favourite character at the start of the book to my favourite by the end.
I wasn’t sure how I would feel about this book have two ‘older’ main characters but I’m so glad that it did because it works perfectly. It allows the story to discuss some interesting topics. From finding a new relationship after divorce, learning to love yourself again and doing things that make you happy.
The walk that Marnie and Michael take is described beautifully and actually inspired me to go on more walks in my local area. It starts in the Lake District and goes through places I know well which made me feel like I was walking alongside the pair. Even when they traveled through places I didn’t know, I still felt like I was with them and could imagine their beautiful views as well as how hard the walk could be at times.
David Nicholls is an extremely talented author who I would love to read more of in the future. He has a skill for creating unique characters and stories that you can’t help but love. He is an exceptional author.
Overall, You Are Here is a book I would highly recommend. It will make you laugh, cry and maybe even make you want to go out on a walk to take in the scenery. I would highly recommend it!
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