Too Close for Comfort

by Clare Dowling

[Leah]

Clare Dowling is an author I’ve enjoyed in the past – having read My Fabulous Divorce and No Strings Attached – but it’s been a little while since I read one of her novels, however once my beautiful looking copy of Too Close For Comfort arrived (really, it’s lovely – a bright blue, with bright colours for the title and author name, it’s really very eye-catching) I was desperate to dive in, because it sounded like a really intriguing novel. I was interested to see why Ali had to flee America, interested to know why Emma had to kick her fiance Ryan out, and I’m pleased to report the book didn’t disappoint.

Most Chick Lit novels, it’s fair to say, are focused more on romance/love/happy ever after than anything else (which is why I read it). However, sometimes I just want to read a Chick Lit novel where friendships are the most important part, or a tale about sisters, warring sisters or happy sisters, whatever. Friday Night With The Girls by Shari Low was an excellent novel on friendship and Too Close For Comfort is another excellent novel that’s not focused on the love aspect. Instead, Too Close For Comfort is about two sisters, Ali and Emma. Ali and Emma haven’t lived on the same side of the world for 17 years after Ali upped and left Ireland for greener, American pastures, but after an incident, she’s back in Ireland, with her kids in tow and is crashing with Emma, who herself is reeling from her own secrets. I found it interesting how the two found themselves thrown back together again, and I liked how their relationship wasn’t perfect but that their sisterly bond was still there.

I thoroughly enjoyed Too Close For Comfort, the novel is different to normal Chick Lit novels and although I found Emma’s secret and subsequent plot to be a bit… out of bounds for a Chick Lit novel, it was still a really good read. I don’t want to speak of what it is Emma’s keeping secret, because it does come as a surprise, but for me, it’s not that it was in bad taste, it really wasn’t, it just wasn’t my cup of tea. It is indeed something that can happen in real life, but I prefer my Chick Lit without it although it was a massive, massive shock! It definitely had that “wow” factor. What Ali does is a little more normal, if you will, and I was interested in learning more as to why Ali fled her life in the USA (I certainly wouldn’t trade USA for Ireland, just saying – if I ever get in there, I ain’t leaving, so take that as a warning US officials!) and I wasn’t disappointed with Ali’s side of the novel, either. It was massively absorbing.

Clare Dowling is on top form with her new novel. It’s fast-paced (I was racing through the pages) and I found the look we got into Emma’s job as a TV producer to be really enjoyable (I loved the banter between Patrick and Alannah). I thought the parts about the girls’ parents was touching, as their Mam (yes! A “mam” in Chick Lit, not “mum”; I’m a Geordie, we use “Mam”, too) looks after their Dad after multiple heart attacks. It toed the line between amusing (which sounds bad, but it isn’t – it’s light-hearted as their Mam gets ratty about things) and touching and I felt it was very well written. Too Close For Comfort was such a good read and the sisterhood between Ali and Emma was really nice to read and it was all around just a really good book. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I can’t wait for Clare’s next book!