Learning to Speak American by Colette Dartford

The death of a child has got to be one of the most painful, traumatic and tragic things a parent has to deal with.

In the aftermath of such a tragedy the people left behind often struggle to keep everything together. Relationships crumble and marriages fall apart.

Duncan and Lola are each struggling in their own way with the death of their daughter. Lola is withdrawn and Duncan refuses to deal with his grief. The result is two people in a long-term relationship, who have become complete strangers to one another.

In an attempt to reconnect with his wife, Duncan takes her on a trip to America, where Lola falls in love with a piece of property in a tranquil spot.

Although the two of them seem to have found common ground in the property, they actually start to wander even further apart. Duncan seeks release from his guilt and emotions by completely disconnecting from them. Lola starts building new relationships and emotional bridges to strangers a whole continent away.

Dartford has captured the essence of estrangement between the married couple. How two people who have lived together,have had a child together and have been intimate lovers and friends for many decades, can suddenly become strangers.

With the two of them travelling on such completely different paths it seems as if the outcome is inevitable. Or is it?

Thank you to NetGalley, Twenty7books and MidasPR for my copy of Learning to speak American.
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