Sarah Catherine Knights is a new find of mine but I am thoroughly enjoying her books. She has an easy writing style which flows as well as the ability to create tangible characters and realistic dialogue, so that is easy to become absorbed in the story.
In Love is a State of Mind, Anna, our narrator, has just been given a shock when her husband, David says that he is leaving. Anna’s life, has up to this point, been a little humdrum; like a comfy pair of slippers, she is used to the shape of it and its familiarity. So, to be jolted out of this by David’s revelation completely throws her off balance. With her children, Holly and Adam, well on into, or starting on, their own adult lives, Anna feels a bit lost, hurt and generally bewildered. However, she has a choice – whether to wallow or use this as an opportunity to find herself.
We follow Anna as she tries to reconcile the person who she always believed she was, shaped by her job, her marriage and her role as mother, into one where she spreads her wings a bit, finding what she’s capable of with the support of her friends and family.
As well as Anna’s story, there are subplots too involving her children and the way that their lives are progressing as she communicates with them during the course of the book. And, of course, Gaz the dog who features as a devoted sidekick throughout the novel.
Anna is an entertaining narrator and there were times during the book where certain observations resonated with me and made me chuckle to myself. I liked the fact that Knights has chosen to show a woman who feels the hurt and rejection of being pushed to one side but also, the chances that this offers her, if she keeps an open mind and finds a little courage. There is some focus on emotion but it is not a dark book in any way – in fact, quite the opposite. I have to admit that I felt quite upbeat after reading it and was sorry that it had ended.
Nothing too taxing here and the best read for a summer afternoon in the garden with your feet up.
Scuffed Granny 