At the tender age of twenty-eight, Cecelia Ahern has been a best-selling novelist for five years. Her first novel, P.S. I Love You, was made into a major Hollywood film, and she co-created the now canceled televsion series, Samantha Who? What's left for her to accomplish, you might ask? I guess we'll just need to keep reading her work to find out!
Ahern is considered a "romance" novelist in her home country of Ireland, where her father once served as prime minister, but her books are much more than boy-meets-girl-and-they-live-happily-ever-after. This author creates real characters who charm the reader with their alternately fantastic (as in fantasy) and vulnerable personalities. Thanks for the Memories begins on a sad note, as Joyce suffers a fall, loses her long-desired unborn child, and is the recipient of a blood transfusion. These events have long-reaching effects on Joyce's life as her shaky marriage comes to an end and she finds herself inexplicably an expert on art, architecture, and languages. Meanwhile, American art and architecture expert Justin Hutchinson has donated blood for the first time and inexplicably longs to know who received it. I'm sure you can guess where this is going! Booklist and Publishers' Weekly both gave Ahern's latest novel mediocre reviews, describing some of the characters as "thin" and "annoying". Personally, I disagree. I found the concept interesting, the characters likable, and Joyce's relationships with her father and friends very appealing. Joyce is strong and worldly and cares deeply, a trait often lacking in the protagonists of today's violent and graphic thrillers. Take a weekend and enjoy this novel!
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