'Grown Ups', by Marian Keyes (2020) - Book review
Grown Ups – Marian Keyes Marian Keyes’ Grown Ups is an exploration of human and family relationships, as well as a long-winded complain about ‘adulting’. The Casey-Kinsella family, linked by overachiever Jessie, is on a holiday when Cara, one of the sisters-in-law, suffers a concussion. As a result, she lets out the secrets that everyone is hiding, from money to infidelity. In a series of past episodes, everybody’s foibles and miseries are revealed to the reader, the better to welcome the happy endings. Clearly, this is a holiday read, centred around the small indignities of family interactions that make us all feel our families are not that bad, after all. Beyond that, the story is a warning tale on the consequences of lack of self-esteem: Jessie, who uses perfectionism and veneer of success to covering her fear of rejection; Cara, who we soon realise is the main character, struggles with bulimia; Nell, the young artistic altruist, hides...