The Woman In The Middle by Milly Johnson

A new Milly Johnson novel is like slipping on a pair of old brushed cotton pyjamas and settling down with a mug of hot chocolate - comforting and familiar. Familiar doesn't mean more of the same, it simply means we know the type of people involved, the locations and that karma is lurking around a few corners.

When Shay Corrigan prepares to marry Bruce Bastable she is determined that life is going to fit around her needs, she's not going to "sacrifice herself at the altar of family" or "lose her sense of self for anyone". Fast forward 24 years and Shay Bastable feels like the squashed filling of a sandwich as she tries to meet the needs of those around her. Her two children, Sunny and Courtney, have flown the nest but Shay is struggling to cut the apron strings. Roberta, her mother, is showing signs of dementia, while her father, Harry, has suffered a major stroke and is in a coma. Marriage to Bruce has become stale, they are both going through the motions on a daily basis. Shay loves her family deeply but she's now beginning to wonder if she should have listened to her mother 24 years ago when she said it wasn't too late to change her mind.

Life is turned on it's head when Bruce walks out on the marriage, needing some space, and when Roberta begins a ramble that eventually reveals a long hidden secret. For the sake of her sanity Shay decides to be entirely selfish and take some time on her own. She returns to her childhood home and faces secrets she's hidden from for 30 years.

Milly Johnson deals with some big issues in this novel, dementia, death, infidelity and more. Each one is handled with kindness, empathy and gentle humor at times. The relationship between Shay and her mother really resonated with me, how the relationship between mother and daughter has flipped round and that we should value each day that we have, never taking for granted those around us. 

What I felt was different about this novel compared to previous Milly Johnson novels is that the lead character didn't have a circle of female friends to turn to for support. However, I felt that this added to Shay's character. Her decisions were her own, she didn't need the validation of others. 

There are a host of wonderful characters throughout the story, along with some extremely unpleasant ones. It was heartwarming to see how some of these characters developed and changed but even better to see karma come calling eventually.