![]() ![]() An epigrammatic style also lends itself to graceful shifts in time: “One day, years later, my mother would tell me that no marriage makes sense to the outside world because, she would say, a marriage is its own world.” The pacing is exemplary, the ups and downs of Martha’s life giving a natural flow to the narrative. ![]() What follows is a look back through Martha’s life from late teens onwards, a deep dive into a chaotic, troubled family whose love for each other ultimately cuts through the darkness. The plot centres on Martha Friel, an Englishwoman approaching 40 whose marriage to her long-suffering husband, Patrick, has recently come to an end. Sharp, stylish and revelatory, this novel is sure to be one of the big success stories of the year. It is that rarest of things, a book that a professional reviewer doesn’t want to end. The title Sorrow and Bliss is entirely fitting for a book that skilfully charts the life of a woman living with mental illness, her days spent treading the fine line between humour and despair. This is the driving force of Meg Mason’s stellar new novel. Sometimes the funniest people are the saddest. ![]()
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