Together We Fall Apart

Synopsis

 A beautifully crafted debut novel from a compelling new voice in Australian fiction.

For the past seven years, Clare has been living in London. She works for a judge on child protection cases. Her partner, Miriam, is devoted to raising their young son, Rupert – their days are dominated by nap times, laundry, and hiding from each other.

When Clare returns to Melbourne to visit her ailing father, another crisis looms – her brother Max’s long-term drug addiction. She turns her efforts towards helping Max into rehab, but is this at the expense of her family back in London? 

Moving, heartbreaking and devastatingly insightful, Together We Fall Apart is a story about running away and coming home.

Review

Clare has spent the last seven years living in London working in the child protection sector for a Judge, her job demands a lot of time and effort making sure the right decisions are made for the families involved and this is not always easy. Clare’s partner Miriam works in advertising but when Miriam and Clare become parents to Rupert it is Miriam who takes on the maternal role leaving Clare feeling somewhat on the outside looking in and feeling like their days have become about duty more than love.

Returning home to Melbourne, Australia to visit with her father whose health is declining rapidly Clare discovers her father is not the only one who needs medical attention; her older brother Max whose had a drug addiction since he was a teenager is very close to having an overdose, Clare feels it is up to her to step-up to where her mother and father have tried for years to help their son to no avail. Clare begins making enquires with local rehabilitation clinics who will take care of Max.

Will Clare be able to find the help she needs to save Max? Will she have to endure the harrowing task alone? Will the hustle and bustle of London be strong enough to call Clare home? Leaving someone else to deal with the chaos that is her current family situation, or will Clare find she has an unlikely ally to help her along the way?

Hours after reading the closing chapter this reviewer is still shocked that Together We Fall apart by Sophie Matthiesson is a debut novel, the attention to detail is terrific without leaving the reader feeling overwhelmed, it is hard not to let this novel completely absorb you and your emotions from start to finish.

During my time reading this book there was a particular detail that doesn’t make sense, at one point Clare hides from her colleagues resting her eyes in the disabled toilet at work during her lunch break yes, she is living with a newborn baby yes that brings on exhaustion like nothing else but why is a fully abled bodied person using the disabled toilet to begin with? This detail feels somewhat unnecessary and dare I say just a little bit selfish; this detail is my reason behind my high four-star rating.

 In the beginning I wasn’t completely sold on our female protagonist Clare in fact I was almost worried she was going to end up on my least liked characters list, thankfully Sophie’s skilled writing made Clare become a character I was fully invested in so much, so I ended up developing a real bee in my bonnet over Miriam especially in the ending chapters, it just goes to show you can’t love every person on the planet even if they are fictional. The character development especially for our heroine was flawless, I haven’t felt that way about a character in a long time.

“We can’t fix things, that we can only try to not make them any worse.”

Sophie Matthiesson – Together we fall Apart

 Sophie has crafted a cast of characters this reader enjoyed spending time with from start to finish, I really connected with Clare and Barb watching their relationship bloom was a delight and even made me smile in the later chapters, Alan and Clare’s bond was lovely.  I believe any reader who chooses to read Together We Fall Apart, will have the ability to sympathise with some of the situations Alan, Barb, Max and Clare find themselves in.

The author has used the dual timeline technique to tell the story of Together We Fall Apart, we move fluently between present-day to 7 years earlier allowing readers insight into Clare’s past; I believe this detail helped the story move forward whilst also keeping the reader fully engaged in both timelines, it also allowed this reader to fully understand Clare and her choices in the closing chapters.

Now that my time with this book has come to an end, I realise there is just a few details missing for this   reader, I would’ve liked an epilogue to discover what became of the family, after spending so much time with them in what feels like their time of need, I am feeling a sense of loss. 

If you’re looking for a book you can devour at speed perhaps savour Together, We Fall Apart if you have a bit more time on your hands. At more than one point in the story I wanted to race through the chapters, but it is my belief the story has a way of making the reader stop and take a few moments to appreciate the little things, the people around you, it forces you take a moment to make memories with loved ones rather than reading or watching someone else’s. 

Together We Fall Apart is one of those books a reader comes across every so often that reminds you what it is to be human, the good parts, the obstacles we face, the periods of self-discovery we all must go through, loss, grief and the choices we must make in the end and the importance of family and friends.

Sub-plots included in Together We Fall apart:

• Terminal illness
• Death of a parent
• Same sex relationship
• Motherhood
• Substance abuse
• Alcoholism
• Grief
• Self-discovery
• Sibling rivalry
• Family trauma
• Dysfunctional family
• Home

Tropes included in Together We Fall Apart:  

• Terminal Illness
• Death of a parent
• Family conflict/resolution
• Grief
• Self-discovery
• Relationship breakdown
• Female friendship
• Mother/ Daughter relationship
• Sibling rivalry
• Dysfunctional family
• Home

Together We Fall Apart takes out this blogger’s top award for an exceptional ending, this story has one of the most original and throughout endings I have read in a long time. I was truly happy for Clare and her family as I said before an epilogue would’ve been perfect in my opinion.

The story defiantly has emotions set to high the main topics being the death of a parent and substance abuse are handled with a great deal of sensitivity, care and respect. It is never easy loosing a loved one to the beast that is cancer, my heart breaks for this family, I feel as if I can relate having lost a family member myself. I was over the moon with Clare’s decision and her reasons behind it in the final chapter, this reader was left with a great sense of hope for the family’s future.

Recommended for a mature audience and fans of Modern & Contemporary Fiction and family drama, should add Together We Fall Apart to their bookshelf.

With continued thanks to author Sophie Matthiesson and Pantera Press for sending a physical copy of this book to read and review in exchange for my honest opinion.