David Nicholls's characters, some of whom are strangers to each other, meander through the English countryside on a days-long jaunt--and along the way allow long-held vulnerabilities to fall away in this beautiful, heartbreaking, heartwarming story.
“It’s true I do have time and freedom and I love it, sometimes. But the notion that I should be 'making the most of it,' travelling the world or out every night, there’s a kind of tyranny in that too.... 'You don’t have kids, why can’t you speak Portuguese?' Do I have to have hobbies and projects and lovers? Do I have to excel? Can’t I just be happy, or unhappy, just mess about and read and waste time and be unfulfilled by myself?”
In David Nicholls's You Are Here, a small group of Sophie's friends, along with her teenage son, assemble to "walk" (hike) through the hills and moors of northern England for several days.
After meeting for the first time, Michael, a recently divorced teacher, studious and thoughtful, and Marnie, a playful copy editor who prefers solitude after her own divorce, fall into a companionable rhythm and, to their surprise, begin to seek out each other's company in an extended hike toward the coast.
We see the disconnect between Marnie and Michael's inner selves and their unsure, sometimes awkward acts and words, and it's deliciously heartbreaking to be privy to their insecurities and fears as well as their soaring hopes--and their crushing attempts to reign them in, in case their feelings aren't reciprocated and their fragile hearts can't take another round of loss.
I loved this literary fiction--the increasing vulnerability and search for connection after heartache, the vivid descriptions of English countryside, and the small moments that mean everything.
Private, intimate, a book was something she could pull around and over herself, like a quilt.
I adored every moment I spent with these characters, particularly while witnessing their hesitancy blooming into brave, tiny acts of risk that build and build. I was riveted, reading as Michael and Marnie began to recognize the wonder in each other and delve beneath the protective facades they've built up for so many years.
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David Nicholls is also the author of One Day, Us, Sweet Sorrow, and Starter for Ten.
I listened to You Are Here as an audiobook.
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