Review of 'Laura Clark Is Away From Her Desk' - Helen Russell

I loved the concept of this book when I read the blurb - the idea of a middle-aged woman just upping and walking away from the expectations everyone in her life places on her. Whilst my life is nowhere near as hard as Laura's, I absolutely empathised with her disappearing act.

The reader doesn't find out what has happened to Laura until the last few pages of the book, but there's rarely a sense that anything too calamitous has happened to her - somehow she seems like far too organised a person for anything untoward to have happened. That said - appearances can sometimes be deceptive...

Nevertheless, by the end, I think I would have supported most actions she might have taken - even those who genuinely care about her and her wellbeing, rely on her far too much and the mental load she carries was exhausting to read about, let alone actually live through. And yet, it never felt like the narrative strayed too far from reality, and the fact is, most women (some men, but it feels like a particularly female trait) are dealing with similar overwhelm and responsibilities in their real lives. There is no doubt in my own family, that brilliant though my husband is at many things, the majority of the mental load is on me. If he forgets things, it's not unusual for me to remember and remind him, the other way around, doesn't happen quite so often. It's not a criticism, it's just a fact. And many other relationships operate on similar lines. And that, I think, is why this book resonated with me so much. Whilst fiction often exaggerates for effect, the best fiction is often grounded in reality and that is the case here.

Ultimately, this is a book about hope. So many women hit middle age and begin to question their life choices - here, Russell shows that there is still hope for a positive second half of their lives, even if the first hasn't quite gone to plan. All many women need is the confidence to step out of their 'normal' and try something different. For me, my youngest going to pre-school gave me the opportunity for further study and a second career has come out of that study, much to my delight. Not all women have that privilege, but in our own way, we can all choose to #BeMoreLaura.