Review ~ How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

Pan
9 August 2018

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

What's it all about ..

Margaret Jacobsen has it all: The fantastic job, a bright future, and the man of her dreams. One day, on what was supposed to be the most special day of her life, a freak accident turns Margaret’s life upside down. 

Suddenly, Margaret is full of questions she never thought she would have to ask - 

Is her fiancé actually her fiancé? Why is her estranged sister here? But most importantly, will she ever walk again? 

For fans of Jojo Moyes, How to Walk Away is an unforgettable love story about finding joy and hope in the darkest of circumstances.

My thoughts about it ..

Margaret Jacobsen and her perfect boyfriend Charlie seem about to spend an idyllic night together and Margaret is sure that on this night Charlie will propose to her, but the fate has a nasty way of intervening and in the blink of an eye Margaret's life is changed forever. Waking up in a trauma unit with life limiting injuries is the start of Margaret's long road to recovery. And whilst she finds that Charlie is less than supportive there are others who do their best to bring Margaret back to some semblance of 'normal' life.

How to Walk Away is an interesting story about family dynamics and how a catastrophic event can either bring out the worst, or the best in people.  There are some lovely light moments within the story particularly with Margaret's sister, Kitty, who has come back into her life after being estranged from the family for three years, we gradually learn the reason for this estrangement as the story progresses. However, it is in the relationship that Margaret has with her physiotherapist, Iain, where the story starts to come alive. It was interesting to observe just how much of Margaret's recovery relied upon the taciturn Iain who, on occasion, tested her endurance to breaking point, and whose maverick approach to rehab often landed him in trouble. I enjoyed the 'will they, won't they' aspect of Margaret's relationship with Iain, who with his Scottish stoicism is quite the hero with his no nonsense approach to physical therapy. 

I enjoyed reading this story which is both sad and happy in equal measure. The author has clearly done her research about the type of injuries that Margaret sustains and whilst the story doesn't dwell too much on the more serious medical aspects of Margaret's condition there is enough information there to make it feel convincing. Margaret's slow rehabilitation shows just how fragile is the life we once felt we held safe and shows that help comes in all sorts of different ways.

About the Author

New York Times best selling writer Katherine Center writes bittersweet comic novels about how we get back up after life has knocked us down. She writes about hope, and love, and how we hold onto life’s joys, even in the midst of all its hardship. Katherine is the author of six novels, with more on the way. Her fourth novel, The Lost Husband, was recently optioned for a movie.

Twitter @katherinecenter #HowToWalkAway

@panmacmillan