Review
All You Need is Love (Dodder)
Drug Buddy
Less fluffy than the average ‘Chick-lit’, and all the better for it, says Claire Allan...
With so many new faces on the Irish writing scene at the moment, it can be easy to miss a few gems. This warm-hearted, fast paced and action-filled novel digs a little bit deeper than the average women’s fiction novel.
In fact the title is misleading - this is a book that could easily be dismissed on first glance as light-hearted fluff - but Malone, one known to buck the trend, uses her second novel to look at the growing drugs culture among Ireland’s young people. It centres around Georgina, a young and enthusiastic journalist, who has her share of drama in the newsroom as well as at home. As the eldest of three children, she has taken on the role left behind by her late mother and as the pressure grows in work, something has to give. The world of work and home collide when her younger brother, Luke, becomes embroiled in a car accident which reveals his dealings with drugs and Georgina has to decide whether to put her family, or her career first. Of course being women’s fiction, the book also tells the story of Georgina’s best friend Val - a single mother doing a grand old job of raising her four year old. However when the four year old is involved in her own drama, the girls’ friendship is tested.
I have to applaud Malone for dealing with a subject that wouldn’t normally be top of the agenda in women’s fiction. Her writing oozes warmth and charm and she isn’t afraid to go one step further for a good hook. Having worked in local journalism myself for ten years, her portrayal of the newsroom was fairly accurate - but I did find it at times difficult to warm to Georgina. I much preferred the best friend Val - who seemed to have her head on her shoulders.
The book, of course, contains a love interest in the form of news editor Tim - but I did find it a little stretched to see Georgina pursue him so soon into her new job. (But then I have a problem generally with in-house romances in Chick Lit - it’s a little clichéd). But putting this all together, this is a book which makes for perfect reading if you want something with a little more bite. Malone is sure to build herself a larger following with All You Need is Love and it will be interesting to see what she tackles next.
Claire Allan is the author of Rainy Days and Tuesdays, published by Poolbeg.
