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With a career in healthcare, Marsh writes with real-world experience and knowledge, but also with the assurance and finesse of a long-time author.
KATIE Marsh's debut novel examines the moral dilemma of a woman trapped in an increasingly unhappy relationship. Her husband suffers a stroke just as she's on the brink of leaving him. Tom is only 32. Now he can't walk or cut up his own food, let alone use his phone or take her in his arms.
And Hannah's trapped. She knows she has to care for her husband, the very same man she was ready to walk away from.
But with the time and fresh perspective he's been given, Tom reevaluates his life, and becomes determined to save his marriage. Can he once again become the man his wife fell in love with, or has he left it too late? The novel presents a fascinating Gordian knot and one that adds extra depth and humanity to the archetypal narrative of illness. The book weaves between Hannah and Tom's present and past. Marsh paints a moving portrait not only of illness, but also of a relationship's demise, as she charts the journey from the hopefulness of the couple's early years together to the dark days of their marriage.
Tom's stroke is a lifechanging moment for them both, but rather than descending into oversentimentality, what follows is a compelling tale of second chances and fresh starts.
This is the first novel from Katie Marsh, above, who lives in south west London with her husband and daughter. With a career in healthcare, Marsh writes with real-world experience and knowledge, but also with the assurance and finesse of a long-time author. This book is a remarkable debut about remembering what's important in life and heralds the arrival of a great new talent.
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