The Way Back To Us by Kay Langdale

The Way Back To Us by Kay Langdale
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Since their youngest son, Teddy, was diagnosed with a life-defining illness, Anna has been fighting: against the friends who don't know how to help; against the team assigned to Teddy's care who constantly watch over Anna's parenting; and against the impulse to put Teddy above all else - including his older brother, the watchful, sensitive Isaac.

And now Anna can't seem to stop fighting against her husband, the one person who should be able to understand, but who somehow manages to carry on when Anna feels like she is suffocating under the weight of all the things that Teddy will never be able to do.

As Anna helplessly pushes Tom away, he can't help but feel the absence of the simple familiarity that should come so easily, and must face the question: is it worse to stay in an unhappy marriage, or leave?

A moving and emotional novel not really an uplifting read, I do like a little escapism when I read and this really was to 'real' for me to call it entertaining.

Good characterisation of vivid and flawed people but such an emotionally driven book it was quite an exhausting read. The journey all the characters take leaves the reader feeling such a sense of hopelessness really that I was finding it hard to continue. Well written and tackling a difficult subject but really not an entertaining read. The family start to fall apart with the illness of Teddy and it seems there is no way out of this for any of them, they all find themselves trying and feeling inadequate, slowly but surely Tom (husband) seeks solace in another woman and desperately wants to find 'the way back to us'.

A bit too sad for me, well written, poignant and exhausting - I believe it deserves a 3.5 (rounded up to 4* for Goodreads and Amazon) from me but really not my kind of read.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.