Anybody Out There?

Összefoglaló

Anna Walsh is a wreck. Recuperating in Ireland following her massive injuries from a car accident, she has been dubbed "Frankenstein" by the local youth. Anna heals quickly in the bosom of her large, quirky family, whom Marian Keyes fans will know well --- this is the fourth book featuring a Walsh sister. She's eager, but bordering on anxious, to get back to her real life in New York City, to her "best job in the world" (PR rep for the hip cosmetics brand Candy Grrrl) and to her beloved husband, Aidan. Through flashbacks, we learn about Anna's past --- how she moved to New York, how she landed her glamorous job, how she met Aidan and married him following a whirlwind romance. Anna's history makes it clear that she and Aidan are the real deal --- their love is as true as it gets --- so why has Aidan mysteriously disappeared, refusing to respond to Anna's email and voice mail messages? Desperate to reconnect with Aidan, Anna goes to great lengths --- consulting horoscopes, dubious fortunetellers, even the psychic to the stars --- without much success. Only a letter from Aidan's ex-girlfriend promises to bring Anna a different kind of connection to her husband, one she wasn't looking for but that promises to change her life forever. As the extent of Anna's loss becomes clear to readers, Keyes's novel develops an emotional depth that exceeds any of her books to date. Keyes has always been known as an author whose novels surpass the Chick Lit tag with which they are often labeled. The heartbreaking story of grief and hesitant renewal in ANYBODY OUT THERE? has few easy answers and happy endings; instead, Keyes delivers a compelling, honest portrait of a woman who has lost herself and isn't quite sure if she's ready to be found. "Would I be holding my breath forever," Anna asks herself, "waiting for the world to right itself?" All this probably sounds like a bit of a downer, but rest assured that Keyes's trademark collection of diverse, eccentric characters is back, including Anna's busybody mother and private investigator sister, both of whom correspond with Anna by means of hilarious emails. Anna's job and the foibles of life in the Big Apple also provide plenty of fodder for Keyes's observant humor. Fans of her previous novels will find much to treasure here, while readers who are being introduced to Keyes's talents for the first time will rush to scoop up the other novels about the Walsh family