I have been actively promoting One Plus One by
JoJo Moyes because I know that faculty and staff have greatly enjoyed (and
recommended to me) several other titles by her.
This novel, set in England and Scotland, was so much fun that it had me
laughing out loud. The antics of a large,
drooling dog, 2 children (an adolescent boy who chooses to wear mascara and his
younger sister, the math genius), plus their single Mum and her employer were
hilarious, yet heart-wrenching at times.
Tales of their travels across the countryside are worth the read alone.
But I also very much liked how JoJo Moyes developed each
character and used each one’s situation to examine how we are often misunderstood.
She stressed how cruel youth can be to anyone who is different, and how those insecurities
sometimes transfer to adult situations and the poor choices that are then made.
Moyes interwove questions about ethics, adult relationships, and the
possibility of romance while also exploring class differences and the many difficulties
faced by a family living from one paycheck to the next. Not all of the issues
were resolved, but most were; and that contributed to the warmth and enjoyment
of this story. I am certainly looking
forward to reading more (starting with Me Before You) by this highly
entertaining author. Comparisons to Irish author Maeve Binchy are often made so
look for titles by her, too!
