Ordinary People by Diana Evans

“It wasn’t you, you know,’ Michael said in the end. ‘That wasn’t the reason. You were just a device in the machine of our breaking, and we needed to break. It’s not so bad, when it finally happens. You think the world is going to collapse around you but it doesn’t. You can see yourself clearly again. You realise that the fear was the worst thing.”

‘Ordinary People is an intimate, immersive study of identity and parenthood, sex and grief, friendship and aging, and the fragile architecture of love. With its distinctive prose and irresistible soundtrack, it is the story of our lives, and those moments that threaten to unravel us.’ – Goodreads

Immediately you are sucked in by Evans’ use of language and the gorgeously vibrant and vivid portrayal of both London and marriage, but when you take a step back you realise that not much is really happening – it’s quite an ordinary tale, hence the name. The novel is set against the backdrop of Barrack Obama’s victorious presidential election and the opening scene is of a party in which all the attendees celebrate his victory. The story is centred on the lives of two couples, Melissa and Michael who are living in South London, and Stephanie and Damien who are out in the suburbs; the break-down of their separate marriages’ is vivid but simplistic, and entirely gripping.

#FLODown: This novel explores the themes of race, identity, parenthood, love, relationships, and aging. The writing is gorgeous but the story is simple – it is one that you may have heard many times before, but never quite like this.

Words by Mollie Kate Cohen