From the first few pages, you can tell that Jojo Moyes is a writer who knows what she’s doing. Coming across such writers (new or well-established ones) is a real treat—someone who gleans where the story needs to begin and then lets the natural rhythm of it take readers where it needs to go. Her latest novel is exactly that kind of novel.
“We All Live Here” is a delightful slice of disaster. It’s a humorously entertaining and relatable story about what happens when life hands you a catastrophe, then follows it up with several more for good measure.
The book is about a 42-year-old writer named Lila Kennedy, whose life has come apart at the seams at a time when it should be at its best. She, her husband, and their two daughters had almost settled into their new North London home, and Lila had just released a bestselling book about how to make a marriage last like her own supposedly rock-solid one. Two weeks after the launch, however, her husband, Dan, announces he’d been hiding an affair with a younger woman in the neighborhood and that he’s leaving her.
His betrayal and the destruction of their relationship catch Lila completely off guard, and she must come to terms with the fact that everything in her book is a lie, and she has no idea what a strong marriage even looks like. Plus, everyone around her now knows it, too.
The Mixed Blessings of Family
“We All Live Here” begins as these events come to pass. Lila is left standing in the aftermath, trying to cope with it all. But fate isn’t finished toying with her.When she goes to pick up her 8-year-old daughter, Violet, after school, she must endure the other mothers huddling around in groups nearby, whispering and giggling at her very public misfortune. “The other woman,” Marja, also happens to be a mother whose child is at the same school, so Lila gets to see her almost every weekday.
She also has a front-row seat to the squealing, delighted cries of the other mothers as they learn that Marja is newly pregnant by Dan.
Ripple Effects
Her kids are dealing with the divorce and the death of their grandmother in different ways. Violet has learned the joys of making adults uncomfortable by blurting out details about anything gross she can think of. Her 16-year-old, Celie, who was already reticent and withdrawn, has begun smoking pot and drinking alcohol. The fights between her and Lila only push them further apart.Lila’s stepfather, Bill, has moved in “temporarily” to help out, but doesn’t show any signs of leaving. Bill is both a welcome presence in Lila’s life and a trying one. While growing up, Lila appreciated his fastidious ways and the stabilizing effect he had on her childhood after her actor father abandoned her and ran off to Hollywood.
But as an adult, she finds Bill’s constant tidying tedious and a reminder of her own failures. And at the same time, she knows he is trying to deal with his own grief at the loss of his wife.
Charm in a Whirlwind of Disaster
Did I mention this was a humorous story? I don’t blame you if you forgot that part. When you break down the details of Lila’s life, all this might come across as a modern-day Greek tragedy rather than a charming slice-of-life tale about weathering the storms of personal disasters.But Moyes’s storytelling abilities allow Lila and her family to stumble awkwardly, humanly, even nobly, through each new trial that falls on their doorstep and allows readers to cringe and laugh over each moment. It’s a kind of “schadenfreude,” yes, a chance for readers to murmur to Lila, “You poor thing,” and yet hurry to see what might happen next.
With “We All Live Here,” Moyes has grasped that great entertainment can be found by watching someone traverse a knife-edge of life, always in danger of falling into the void of utter destruction. It’s well worth your reading pleasure.
