The Mortification Of Grace Wheeler by Colette Dartford

 

The Mortification of Grace Wheeler by Colette Dartford.

Published 18th August 2022 by Whitefox.

From the cover of the book:

A stale marriage, an illicit affair. Who pays the price?

Faced with an empty nest when her only child goes to university, the flaws in Grace's marriage are sharply exposed. Finding excuses to escape the taut atmosphere at home, she is drawn into an affair that ignites a mid-life sexual awakening.

But when her secret is discovered there is a terrible price to pay, and Grace is not the only one who pays it.

A compelling and emotional read, The Mortification of Grace Wheeler shines a spotlight on a marriage in crisis, the challenges of being a middle-aged woman, and the fear that your best years are behind you.

***********

Grace Wheeler's life is turned upside-down when her only child goes off to university. Although she knew that facing an empty nest would be hard, it is the way that this has thrown other areas of her life into sharp relief that proves to be unexpectedly challenging. Suddenly the twenty-three year age gap between her and her older husband Cal seems impossible to breach, especially given his recent heart problems that have noticeably aged him. They seem to have nothing in common now that their son Josh is no longer here, and the prospect of spending empty hours with Cal and his boorish attitudes fills Grace with dread.

Grace decides that an interest all of her own is what she needs to get her out of the house and away from Cal. She opts to try some fly-fishing lessons, reasoning that since this is one of Josh's passions they will be able to spend time together when he visits in the holidays - but it is the instructor himself that surprisingly proves to be the most interesting part of the whole experience. 

Grace finds herself drawn into a passionate affair with a younger man that makes her feel alive and fulfilled for the first time in her sheltered life, but when her secret is discovered, there are disastrous consequences for Grace, her marriage and her wider friends and family.

I was not sure what to expect from this novel, but once I started reading it I could not put it down and devoured the whole thing in one tasty bite. Grace is a complex character, and although many of her decisions are suspect ones, there is a delicious push-and-pull to the dilemmas that suddenly confront her in all parts of her life, which makes her story very relatable - particularly to older women readers. Grace wants to escape from the boredom and predictability of her own life. Her marriage is stale and she craves a distraction. There is an inevitability to what follows, and perhaps a middle-aged woman embarking on an affair with a younger man is a bit of a cliche, but there is so much more to this tale. 

Dartford's writing is a joy. She draws you into a story that beautifully mixes the mundane with moments of cutting emotion and high drama, touching on a wealth of themes that go beyond the problems of a woman who becomes untethered and learns some harsh truths about herself and those around her. The pitfalls and delights of mixed families, marriage and motherhood dominate the storyline, but Dartford also casts an insightful eye on the conflicting feelings that creep up on you when you hit middle age. I also really enjoyed how she explores female friendship; the dating scene for older women; the difficulties associated with failing health and loss of independence; and the notion of letting go in many aspects of her characters' lives. 

This book pulls no punches. It is not about the saucy escapades of a bored, middle-aged housewife looking for fun between the sheets. It addresses some weighty emotional, and even societal, issues in a way that goes beyond the obvious consequences of acts of infidelity; the secrets we keep; and the lies we tell to others, and ourselves. This is a book with bite, and it is all the better for it. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Mortification of Grace Wheeler is available to buy now in paperback and ebook formats.

Thank you to Whitefox for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Midas PR for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Colette Dartford writes contemporary fiction with compelling emotional themes. Her debut novel, Learning to Speak American, was shortlisted for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award and published by Bonnier Zaffre. Her second novel, An Unsuitable Marriage, was a Kindle bestseller for over 18 months. 

In addition to her novels, Colette has had award-winning Flash fiction, short stories and poetry, published in popular magazines and anthologies. 

The Mortification of Grace Wheeler is her third novel. Colette lives in Bath with her husband and a very demanding labradoodle.