I always have a soft spot for books about friendships between three women. There is a predictability about the plot that’s very comforting – in general, one will fall in love, one will get divorced or break up, and a third will have some kind of inner awakening. Writers like Liane Moriarty have built entire oeuvres based on this formula.
But this is the first time I have read such a book written by a man, and I was curious what a male perspective on female friendships and relationships could look like.
Surprisingly, not very different from a woman’s take.
About The Coast Road
Set in 1994, The Coast Road tells the story of two women – Izzy Keaveney, a housewife, and Colette Crowley, a poet. Colette has left her husband and sons for a married man in Dublin. When she returns to her home in County Donegal to try to pick up the pieces of her old life, her husband, Shaun, a successful businessman, denies her access to her children.
The only way she can see them is with the help of neighbor Izzy, acting as a go-between. Izzy also feels caught in a troubled marriage. The friendship that develops between them will ultimately lead to tragedy for one and freedom for the other.
~ Synopsis from goodreads
My Review
I love the book’s setting. Set in 1994, before divorce was made legal, this book shows how claustrophobic life can get if there is no escape hatch – both for men and women.
Izzy is a woman living an up-and-down life with her husband. If possible, she would have made her escape a long time ago, but instead, she and her husband live unhappily together and are constantly fighting over silly issues, causing trauma for her children.
Colette runs away from her husband and is unable to get legal access to her children as a result. She has to resort to seeing them on the sly and for very short periods of time.
Dolores gets pregnant before marriage, leaving her with no choice but to marry a man who doesn’t love or commit to her. She tolerates his sleeping around until she can no longer turn a blind eye to his abuse.
On the surface, it seems Colette has got the freedom she wanted, but she now has to pay a price that’s too high. Izzy is in a good position to observe her and realizes that her situation could be much worse than it is now. Maybe her husband isn’t all that bad after all. Dolores has to weigh her options and realize that maybe her life needs some hard resets, maybe the pain of divorce or separation would be better for her.
I liked this book. In places, it seemed a little dour, but overall, it was a solid, mature book. There are no happy endings for anyone, but it was an interesting and insightful read about midlife regrets, making the best of what life has to offer, and a surprisingly strong female bond of friendship.
