Ralph still paints pictures in the attic and Jem works part-time as a celebrity agent, but, despite their enduring love, this couple doesn’t talk. And now she is here: separated, a single parent, inhabiting a desperate, heartbreaking place where she never expected to be. The emotions, if not some of the situations, are genuine and compelling and overall I was truly engrossed in this heartfelt novel. It is a beautiful mirror, pockmarked and musty and still holding the scent of the distempered walls of whichever lost French palace it was rescued from. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup.

It’s not even really necessary to read Ralph’s Party beforehand as everything is explained very well. His ambivalence towards his children manifests in a lack of participation in the everyday routines and responsibilities of family life. Parenthood changes a relationship irrevocably and you either grow together as you adjust to the new demands or drift apart. Her novels have sold over 10 million copies internationally, and her work has also been translated into twenty-nine languages. The front door is thickly painted in a matte shade of mushroom and dressed with nickel-plated knobs and knockers.When she gets there, she glances down, as she always does, into the basement pit of the house at number thirty-one. As they try to find a way back to each other, back to what they once had, they both become momentarily distracted - but maybe it's not too late to recapture happily ever after. Jem and Ralph are now parents to two children, three year old Scarlett and 4 month old Blake, both conceived after unexplained infertility and several miscarriages.

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of course, as such, the aura of mystery and anticipation surrounding its arrival unfortunately built-up the potential majesty of said-prize. Interestingly I didn’t find Jem nor Ralph particularly likeable as it is easy to see how their own immature behaviour contributes directly to the problems they have but at the same time I related to their floundering and think it is much easier to judge the situation from a distance. She re-creates in magical detail the lives of Alaska's homesteaders in both of the state's seasons (they really only have two) and is just as specific and authentic in her depiction of the spiritual wounds of post-Vietnam America. His actions towards the end of the book are incomprehensible to me (and I'm frustrated that I am unable to say anything further for fear of spoilers). This is a sequel to a book I haven't yet read, and I suspect I wouldn't like as much, because After the Party isn't about finding love but keeping it.