The Brightest Star in the Sky

Marian Keyes's tenth glorious doorstop of a novel focuses on the inner lives of the inhabitants of 66 Star Street, a Dublin townhouse with a blue door and a banana-shaped knocker; a gift from a previous tenant, a metalworker with a sense of humour (who everyone hated). Partly narrated by a mysterious all-seeing presence (a ghost? A spirit?) that's just come to pay a visit and bounces from one imperfect life to another, the story takes in the histories and private traumas of several sets of couples. Matt and Maeve, who seem the most outwardly normal of the lot, living a gentle life of work, telly, bed and copious biscuits, are not in good shape at all, fighting with a constant encroaching sense of fear and despair that isn't explained until deep into the story. Maeve tries to restore her faith in the world by performing self-help rituals- Trios of Blessings and Acts of Kindness- helping strangers up the stairs with buggies, smiling at scowling teenagers, and forgoing the last ham sandwich in the work canteen. Matt, wanting to support her, follows along, but as the story develops we learn that the loving couple are 'wounded and waiting,' stuck in limbo after a terrible trauma that no karmic payoff seems about to redress. Of course, you can trust Marian for a happy ending- but as a recovering alcoholic with a history of debilitating depression, the author never downplays the sheer hard work it takes to pull yourself back from the brink, and the importance of others around you, whether or not you're able to tell them how important they are at the time.