Sometimes you have to reach the end of the road before you can start over.
Kerry is perfectly happy with her life. She gets up at the same time every day to deliver post to the winding lanes and little villages around where she lives, stopping for a chat at some of the houses along the way. Once a month she has Sunday lunch with her sister Beth’s perfect family, to eat roast chicken while Beth tells her why she should want more out of life.
Beth thinks Kerry is kidding herself. She thinks Kerry needs to move out of the horrible little apartment converted from the garage in their parents’ garden, find a better job, and maybe even meet a man. And now their parents’ house is up for sale, Beth is going to make sure Kerry gets a life… whether Kerry likes it or not.
Kerry knows something Beth doesn’t, though. She knows the happiest of marriages can hide dark secrets, and that even the people you love most in the world can betray you. She’s known that since she was seventeen years old, when she learned her father’s secret.
It’s far safer not to get close to people…
Isn’t it?
A brilliantly emotional novel about moving on and learning to live that will make you laugh out loud and cry buckets. Perfect for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, Matt Haig and Mike Gayle.
It's such a pleasure to be sharing my review of Kerry Tucker Learns To Live today. Many thanks to Louise Voss, Bookouture and Sarah Hardy for inviting me to take part in the Books on Tour and for my advance digital copy of the novel, received through Netgalley.
Kerry Tucker Learns To Live is a change of pace from my usual reading fare but I need a palate cleanser every now and again and know I'm always guaranteed a good read with a book written by Louise Voss. The novel is set in and around Salisbury and as I live nearby, I enjoyed recognising many of the places mentioned but really it's the characterisation which made this such an engaging, relatable read.
When we're introduced to the eponymous Kerry Tucker at the start of the novel, it's immediately evident that she isn't having the easiest of times and is grieving the recent loss of her mother. Early impressions suggest that despite this, she believes she is content in life but even at this early stage, it seems obvious that she is existing rather than living. Her life has become routine and lockdown hasn't helped, leaving her even less inclined to socialise. The novel is set in that strange summer of 2020 when some of the restrictions had been lifted but life hadn't fully returned to normal and it's the perfect background for a book which so perceptively explores themes of fear, grief and stagnation, as well as love and hope.
As the storyline progresses and Kerry realises her plans for the future are slipping away from her, she becomes increasingly troubled. From the outside, it's only too clear that she is handling everything badly but despite making several errors of judgement, she remains a likeable character throughout. The same can't be said of some of the other characters and while some are merely unpleasant, others are more odious. There's another character in particular who is also allowed to grow and change, and I appreciated having my perception of them challenged during the course of the book.
Louise Voss empathetically examines how and why somebody might descend into apathy and even depression, and it gradually becomes painfully apparent that as well as the sense of loss and untethering she is experiencing recently, she also has unresolved issues from her past. There are a few flashback chapters included which eventually reveal what happened back then and it's worth pointing out that although this is ultimately a feel-good read, there are darker scenes which some people may find upsetting.
It is, of course, inevitable that Kerry will have the happy ending she deserves but that doesn't mean this is a predictable story. There are surprises and revelations throughout and although I always knew things would eventually work out for her, I really enjoyed the rollercoaster ride of emotions that led to the uplifting, poignant conclusion. Gently humorous and warmly insightful, Kerry Tucker Learns To Live left me with a tear in my eye and a smile on my face. I thoroughly recommend it.
Kerry Tucker Learns To Live is published by Bookouture and can be purchased from Amazon, where is is also available on Kindle Unlimited.
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Over her twenty-year writing career, Louise Voss has published books via pretty much every publishing model there is, from deals with major traditional publishing houses (Transworld and HarperCollins), to digital (Thomas & Mercer and Bookouture) and self-publishing. In 2011, she and co-author Mark Edwards were the first UK indie-published authors to hit the No.1 spot on Amazon UK. Louise has written thirteen novels in total, seven solo and six co-written, across psychological thrillers, police procedurals and contemporary fiction.
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