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A review by thebookishkimmy
Before My Actual Heart Breaks by Tish Delaney
4.0
My heart may have actually broken while reading this. The book is set in Northern Ireland in the 1970s and follows the life of Mary, a young girl who dreams of leaving her abusive mother and emotionally absent father for the freedom of America. Mary’s dreams are broken when she discovers she is pregnant at 16 and forced into an arranged marriage with a local farmer who has his own painful past.
Mary and John are together for 25 years and go on to have more children. Their relationship is strange, filled with hate, anger, bitterness and resentment and yet there’s something that has kept them together all this time. In the background is the war between Protestants and Catholic’s, the IRA and bombings that brings more fear and trauma to Mary resulting in a refusal to leave the farm and make something else of her life. This also causes tension between Mary and John. Mary feels like she can’t do anything right and only begins to soften towards John once she discovers the story of his past.
This book felt raw and vulnerable and I truly ached in places. It is heavily character driven and from the point of view of Mary as we follow her growth from confused and broken teenager, through all the hardships, and eventually into an adult. Mary has experienced a lot of trauma and pain and while she does make some poor choices I really couldn’t but sympathise with her and will to stand up for her.
Thank you to Random House for the advanced copy in exchange for a review. This book will be released next year and I encourage you to check it out if you like stories a little meaty. I won’t forget it anytime soon.
Mary and John are together for 25 years and go on to have more children. Their relationship is strange, filled with hate, anger, bitterness and resentment and yet there’s something that has kept them together all this time. In the background is the war between Protestants and Catholic’s, the IRA and bombings that brings more fear and trauma to Mary resulting in a refusal to leave the farm and make something else of her life. This also causes tension between Mary and John. Mary feels like she can’t do anything right and only begins to soften towards John once she discovers the story of his past.
This book felt raw and vulnerable and I truly ached in places. It is heavily character driven and from the point of view of Mary as we follow her growth from confused and broken teenager, through all the hardships, and eventually into an adult. Mary has experienced a lot of trauma and pain and while she does make some poor choices I really couldn’t but sympathise with her and will to stand up for her.
Thank you to Random House for the advanced copy in exchange for a review. This book will be released next year and I encourage you to check it out if you like stories a little meaty. I won’t forget it anytime soon.