When you went away (by Michael Baron or Lou Aronica)

(Amazon UK link)

I had never heard of Michael Baron, but his book ‘When you went away’ was offered free for the Kindle ten or eleven years ago. So, as the reviews were good, I downloaded it. Today, at least on Amazon, the author of the book is shown as Lou Aronica, with no mention of Michael Baron. So perhaps it was a temporary pseudonym.

I finally started reading the book a few days before returning home from six weeks away, and finished it on my flight. It’s a very readable book with quite engaging characters, and a pleasant (if slightly predictable) storyline.

The narrator, a man around forty called Gerry, starts by recounting a poignant dream, where he was with his wife Maureen when they were much younger. We quickly learn that they were happily married for nearly twenty years, with a teenage daughter and a new baby son. He was quite a surprise, but very welcome.

We also learn that Gerry is in the depths of despair. His daughter has vanished - we only gradually learn the circumstances - and his wife died shortly before the book starts. The only thing that keeps Gerry going is the necessity of looking after his young son, and he’s not finding it at all easy. He has had compassionate leave from his job but he knows he needs to return, so he’s trying to find a suitable babysitter…

It’s an emotive start to the story, and I found Gerry a three-dimensional, believable character. He isn’t sure how to deal with the constant questions about how he’s feeling, and how he’s coping… and he’s definitely not ready to leave his young son in the hands of a stranger. The book charts his beginning to move on, helped in part by a colleague who clearly likes him in a way that, she hopes, will become more than friendship in time…

It’s a character-driven plot, one which I thought was very sensitively done and unusual in being from the point of view of a man; most books of this kind are written by women, featuring women as the main protagonists. Not that it matters - I was quickly drawn into the storyline, appreciating Gerry’s confusion at times, his guilt about even thinking of starting a new relationship, and his constant worry about his daughter.

I didn’t know how it was going to end - misunderstandings arise, as in all the best romance books, and it wasn’t until the last chapters that the various threads started neatly tying themselves in place. Possibly the climax and ending were a tad too contrived, but it didn’t worry me; I’d much rather have a predictably satisfactory ending than a traumatic or shocking one.

The writing drew me in, and most of the characters felt believable. Overall I enjoyed the book very much; it was difficult to put down once I’d reached about the mid-point. Recommended if you like this kind of novel. I think of the style as women’s fiction, but don’t wish to be sexist. Whatever your gender, this is a poignant, well-written romantic book.

Review copyright 2022 Sue's Book Reviews