This Disaster Loves You

December 11, 2023
With this gentle, heartwarming tale of love lost and found again in the unlikeliest of places, Roper (When We Were Young) takes readers on a whirlwind tour through England and Scotland. It’s been nearly seven years since Brian’s wife, Lily, unexpectedly walked away from their life. Stuck scrolling through increasingly negative reviews of the deteriorating pub that once was their dream while pinning hopes for her return based on a single hastily written postcard received shortly after she left, Brian self-soothes by pouring pints for Jeff, a pub regular with a penchant for tall tales, and reminiscing about his 15 years with Lily. It’s not until he sees a TripAdvisor handle suggesting that Lily might be out adventuring that he’s propelled to make a change. He sets out to track her down and find out the truth of why she left him once and for all. Following her trail takes Brian from Stonehenge to Bath and along the way he gets in touch with his daredevil side, reconsiders what his future will hold, and meets new people, including a woman named Tess, with whom he discovers an unexpected connection. Despite frequent flashbacks, Roper effectively moves his protagonist’s life forward, and it’s a joy to watch Brian come out of his funk. Readers will be hooked. Agent: Laura Williams, Greene & Heaton.

January 1, 2024
A British man searches for his missing wife while reflecting on their lives together in this bittersweet tale. Brian's wife, Lily, disappeared from their pub six years ago and hasn't been heard from since, though he keeps hoping that she'll return one day. In the meantime, he spends his time chatting with Jeff, his one regular, and hoping his tiny staff will stay on board despite the increasingly negative reviews the pub is receiving online. One night while doing his obsessive daily check of the reviews, he ends up stumbling on the profile of someone who's been commenting on places around the U.K. since about six months after Lily disappeared; her user name is the title of Lily's favorite song and the year of her birth. Could it be Lily herself? Despite the state of the pub, Brian decides to head off in search of some sort of closure, following the reviews left by PinkMoonLily1970. Along the way, he connects with a woman named Tess who's on her own journey of discovery; she's thinking about ending her 20-plus-year marriage and decides to tag along with Brian while he shares his and Lily's story with her. Roper is a good writer, able to evoke feelings with small turns of phrase, skilled at details that make a world and a relationship feel solid and lived in. Despite the potential tragedy inherent in the plot, the book is also very funny, from Jeff's stories to Brian's foibles and Lily's sly wit in the stories Brian tells about her. The biggest downside is that Lily, the heart of the narrative, exists only in Brian's memories rather than as a fully fleshed-out person in her own right. Though it's clear why the book is framed this way, the absence of Lily is felt, and Tess, the other main female character, functions more in service to Brian's story than as a character herself. This is such a good book that its stumbles feel bigger than they might otherwise. A story of love and finding yourself that just slightly misses the mark.

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January 1, 2024
Brian Taplowe spends his days in his mostly empty, deteriorating pub, entertaining himself and a regular by reading bad customer reviews posted online. Brian wasn't always in this stagnant place, but seven years prior, his wife, Lily, walked out of their life together, and Brian clings to the hope that one day soon she will walk through the pub's doors. When he stumbles on a positive review from a familiar screen name and realizes the reviewer is traveling around the UK and posting reviews in real time, he spontaneously decides to go find her, convinced PinkMoonLily1972 is his wife. As he searches, he encounters a variety of situations that force him outside his comfort zone and meets a charming and surprising travel companion who is enduring her own heartache. Interspersed throughout Brian's journey, we learn the ups and downs of Lily and Brian's years together, from their first meeting right up until the day she disappeared. Roper deftly interlaces humor through this poignant novel about love, marriage, and loss. Hand this one to Mike Gayle, Abbi Waxman, and David Nicholls fans.

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