The Rest of Our Lives by Benjamin Markovits

 

I hadn’t heard of Benjamin Markovits before but I was intrigued by the blurb, so I applied to read it. This book won’t turn your world upside down but it is a lovely story, with very believable characters, and plausible situations – although if someone had Tom, our narrator’s symptoms, one would hope they would go to a hospital sooner.

 

Tom is married to Amy. They have 2 beautiful children – first Michael, then Miriam (Miri). When Michael is young and Miri is tiny, Amy has an affair. They carry on, so as to keep the home together for the children, but Tom decides that when Miri leaves home, he will leave. Amy suspects and is just waiting for something to happen, so the marriage is not a comfortable one. However, they muddle along. When Miri goes to University Tom drives her. When he drops her off, he just decides to carry on driving – to see various old friends, and ultimately to stay with their son Michael. Unfortunately, the trip doesn’t quite go as planned, and Tom and Amy are forced to evaluate what is really important.

 

I really enjoyed the book, but I felt the ending was a bit rushed and not very satisfying. Otherwise I would have given it 5 stars.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7347221313