Broken Chances is a book written from the heart.
Margo, in her mid 20s, has a life in Latvia with friends, a mother who is not demonstrative but who loves her, a budding career as a bookkeeper, and a tiny but warm flat. But when middle-aged businessman Michael woos her with fancy dinners, boat trips and fun, she willingly gives it all up to marry him and move to England. Not just England, but a tiny island off the stunningly beautiful Jurassic coast. Margo falls in love with her new home, where the tightly knit community welcome her eagerness to learn to fit in – in their restrained English way.
Margo also works hard to be a good wife, as that’s the role Michael has given her while he sets about building his new conservatory business. While Margo’s life has changed, so too, it seems has Michael. He’s no longer the fun, caring man who courted her, but one who demands dinner on the table, the house spotless, and free help keeping the business’s books in order.
Find Broken Chances by Eve Koguce here
Disillusioned, but not wanting to give up easily, Margo struggles with what to do, and who to confide in. But then she meets the son of Michael’s oldest friend, a young man only a year or two younger than Margo, and her decision to marry seems that it will become an even greater burden.
Set against a beautifully described landscape, my heart went out to Margo, caught in a web which threatened to destroy her youth and future, if not worse. But what makes this young, untested woman a heroine worth rooting for is the way in which she, although betrayed herself, actively seeks to extricate herself without betraying her husband – and despite her growing love for another man. She recognises how her own naivete has lead her here, but rather than bemoaning her fate or running home to her mother, she grasps the nettle and gets on with sorting out her life. (She reminded me of Raine in my own novel, Keepers, which is perhaps why I loved her so much.)
The author builds a delightful cast of secondary characters, mostly women ‘of a certain age’ who close ranks around their young friend, alone in a foreign land. I loved this theme of women helping others, whatever their cultural differences.
And we also have a little ‘murder’ mystery as a sub-plot to spike our interest, simmering along and with a perfect reveal.
The richly emotional writing of Broken Chances struck me as coming from the author’s heart, suggesting personal stakes in Margo’s story. Certainly the authenticity of the voice is strong. I found myself totally engaged in a tale which conveys so beautifully a very different experience. Thank you, Eve, for a rewarding read.
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