Anybody Out There? (Walsh Family Book 4)

This book is funny, sad, and everything in between. I loved it the first time and I loved it the 5th time!

The fourth of Marian Keyes' Walsh family novels features Anna,transformed from the dippy hippie of earlier novels into a hard-charging PR woman in NYC. But as the novel opens she's back in the family home in Dublin, recovering from serious injuries from an accident that has left her face scarred and her husband absent. In Keyes' signature style for Walsh family novels, in the first part of the book she twins the then story of Anna meeting and marrying her husband, Aidan, with the now story of her recovery in Ireland and return to a demanding workplace in New York promoting a hot line of cosmetics. Those stories converge to reveal what's happened to Aidan.SPOILER ALERTBy the time Keyes reveals that Aidan died in the accident that injured Anna, the revelation isn't much of a surprise, but plucky Anna has captured the reader's sympathy. The plaintiveness of her frequent email messages to Aidan and calls to his cell phone underscore the terrible absence she feels after returning to the apartment they shared, so it was easy for me to understand why, even after facing the fact that he's dead, she keeps wondering, "Where is he?" I sympathized with her turn to psychics in an effort to find relief and Anna's furtive planning to escape the attentions of family and friends who wanted to keep her busy in hopes of getting her back to normal as quickly as possible. I found Anna's year of magical thinking as realistic as that depicted by Joan Didion in her memoir with that title.Another aspect of the novel that worked for me was the PR/fashionista background with the T-Rex of a demanding boss, the strategizing to land coverage in coveted magazines, the over-the-top outfits required to fit the brand image, etc. In this novel Keyes leaves behind the breeziness of pure chick-lit by giving her sympathetic character a very dark problem to work through and significant challenges in her work life, all of which works very well. I can only conclude that it was at her editor's insistence that readers would want some lighter fare in this story that Keyes added the subplot told in emails from Dublin of Anna's PI sister, Helen, and her wacky case involving the marital woes of an Irish crime boss, which was an irritating distraction to this reader.Keyes has transformed herself into a much more serious novelist than many of her fans from her chick-lit days probably want, and in Anybody Out There, she's trying to have it both ways. In This Charming Man, The Other Side of the Story, and The Brightest Star In The Sky, Keyes tells her story from the viewpoints of multiple characters and deals with a range of serious social ills, and those novels are by far her best. In the Walsh family novels, she's hampered by the gimmick itself and the expectations of a breezy romp. To me, Anybody Out There is the best of that lot, but now that she's published a novel focusing on the fifth and final Walsh sister -- The Mystery of Mercy Close, featuring Helen -- I hope she'll retire the Walsh family and focus her energy on what she does best.

This is my first Marian Keyes book, and I liked it just fine. I found the story to be funny and humorous in turns.The structure was also interesting. A key plot point, while you'd have to be in a coma to not figure out, wasn't actually stated until about the midpoint of the story. That was okay -- there was something about not having the obvious be said that allowed the back story to develop and not be weighted done with absolute knowledge.There was a subplot with one of the heroine's sisters back in Ireland that didn't interest me, but I've never been a big fan of secondary stories taking up to much space when I'm eager to discover what happens next in the story that dragged me in.The middle also lagged and seemed to lose momentum for a while. Anna was in denial for the first half of the story, and in the middle she's in limbo but it still seemed to key points could be condensed instead of repeated I believe that part would have been all the more poignant.I also think this could have been remedied by another key discovery happening earlier.I came away with this knowing that, although it wasn't a perfect read, I now have a new author to read and enjoy.

Marian Keyes is back as my favorite author, right up there with Nick Hornby. I have read everything she's ever written. Her last few books left me feeling less than than elated but I'm loyal. And she's back. Making my life easier to handle because I have the worlds she creates to immerse myself in. Her characters become my bestfriends. I find myself talking about them during dinner with my husband. The minute I open her books I am swept away to another world, where I'm a fly on the wall, where I identify with the depth of feeling and vulnerability of her characters, and where I don't feel like such an odd ball in the world. We're all odd balls. It's what keeps life interesting. But her books do so much more for me than entertain. They enlighten me, they make me think about the circumstances of people, and they make me feel a plethora of emotions. In the words of e.e. cummings, she opens me, pedal by pedal. When I closed this book I just sat there staring at it, carressing the cover, thanking it for giving to me without asking for anything in return (except the cover price, which was worth every penny. I have a Marian Keyes library.) Don't miss out on this gem!

Okay, I take it back: I said that "Rachel's Holiday" was my favorite Marian Keyes novel.... Now I have to say that "Anybody Out There?" is most definitely her best."Anybody Out There?" is packed with more drama, suspense, and excitement than any of her previous books, yet does not lack her trademark hilarity in dealing with serious & awkward situations. Since Anna has always been my favorite of the five Walsh sisters, i found this book particularly enjoyable. The reader is instantly wrapped up into Anna's story, and is given a front row seat to follow her along as she heals, grows, and discovers each new day of her life. Filled with surprises, anguish, joy, and of course, Anna Walsh's customary "kookiness", this novel is superb and perfectly-written in every way. For ONCE I was able to read a book and NOT know what the ending was before I was halfway through it! I am just floored by how well-written Keyes latest novel is.Bravo, and thank you, Ms. Keyes, for another masterpiece!

Marian Keyes is brilliant. Her books are funny, sad, poignant, but always, ultimately uplifting. I find myself reading her books more slowly because I don’t want them to end. Anybody Out There? was no exception. Loved the characters and the plot line. Don’t know what I’ll do when I have read them all. Have only 2 left!! 😩

I love Marian Keyes! Pleasant reading as always.

From tears to laugh out loud. Clever writing that draws you in. I’m going straight onto another Marion Keyes. Enjoy!

the great book as always Ms Keys does.

Another fabulous read. Marian's books are heartwarming, funny and you can't help but love the Walsh family.

ついさっき読み終わりました。とっても切ない話なんだけど、もっと深いところに家族愛だったり、友情だったり、人のあたたかさがあふれていて、結局Marian Keyesが書くと、どんな悲劇もあたたかい話になっちゃうのですね。Marian　Keyesの本は大好きです！英語で読むから時間がかかるけど、それだけの価値あり！です。この４姉妹は、それぞれ一人ひとりが主人公になった本が出ているのですが（Water Melon, Angelsなど。Helenが主人公のものだけまだないかな？）どれも切なくて面白いです。Water melonの中では、ヒッピーみたいな格好をして、なんだか抜けてて、ふわふわとした感じだったAnnaがAnybody out thereでは主人公になって、ばりばりと仕事をしていて、「Anna大人になったのね〜。」なんて思いました。著者がアイルランド人（だと思う）なので、アメリカ人より、カナダ人より、ウエットで、ずっと日本人の感性に近いので読んでいてしっくりきます。お勧めの1冊です。