Having recently read this story, I completely empathise with Fran and at many times have often wanted to get up and go. I think most Mothers at some point in their life will have wanted to do the same. Fran is a young Mum who finds that coping with her young son Louis has in many ways become very claustrophobic. Fran makes the ultimate decision to leave Louis and her husband behind. Fran loves both Louis and her husband Nick and we are never in any doubt of that at all. Was she selfish to leave? I don't think she was. She had to do what was right for her at the time and if that was the only way that Nick was going to pay the attention to her needs as well as his own then she did the right thing. Nick in some ways was oblivious to her needs and wanted a stay at home wife but this wasn't what Fran wanted to be. Fran leaves with her passport, handbag and only the clothes she is wearing and goes on a voyage of self discovery that involves looking into her past and the relationship between her, her parents and sister. She makes a friend along the way who has problems of her own and between them they help one another come to terms with their respective problems.
I could say more but I don't want to spoil it for others too much. The book is very well written and very thought provoking. It would make a very interesting reading group read and will cause much discussion as I'm sure that not everyone will agree with Fran's decisions. I'll definitely look out for more books by this Author.
