What if the secret you discover is yourself?
Em and Pete are high school sweethearts whose love has never waned. When Pete suddenly passes away at age 40, Em is inconsolable, never having known adulthood without him. Months later, she discovers heâd been secretly planning a surprise second honeymoon to Ireland.
Following her instincts, she bravely resolves to take the trip, convinced that in her ancestral home, sheâll be able to communicate with her beloved Pete in the afterlife. Furthermore, after losing her mother at 17, Em is finally ready to shed some light on her Irish motherâs life and early death.
As Em connects with the land and her beloved husband, and begins to unravel the mystery of her late motherâall with the help of a mystic named Murielâit becomes clear that everyone she meets is intricately entwined with her history. Her world is turned upside down once more as her familyâs secrets are revealed. Held by the evocative magic of Ireland and the stories it holds, Em moves beyond her grief to find true connection and a peace with her past that leaves space for her future.
What if the secret you discover is yourself?
Em and Pete are high school sweethearts whose love has never waned. When Pete suddenly passes away at age 40, Em is inconsolable, never having known adulthood without him. Months later, she discovers heâd been secretly planning a surprise second honeymoon to Ireland.
Following her instincts, she bravely resolves to take the trip, convinced that in her ancestral home, sheâll be able to communicate with her beloved Pete in the afterlife. Furthermore, after losing her mother at 17, Em is finally ready to shed some light on her Irish motherâs life and early death.
As Em connects with the land and her beloved husband, and begins to unravel the mystery of her late motherâall with the help of a mystic named Murielâit becomes clear that everyone she meets is intricately entwined with her history. Her world is turned upside down once more as her familyâs secrets are revealed. Held by the evocative magic of Ireland and the stories it holds, Em moves beyond her grief to find true connection and a peace with her past that leaves space for her future.
Em was starting her day like she always did with several sun salutations in front of the wide windows that looked out over the lake while the tea water boiled. It was a cool December morning and the promise of snow was in the air. Em was always doing at least two things at the same time. She moved fast inside her head although it appeared to others that she moved slowly... easily... through life.
But appearances werenât everything, she thought, as she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirrorâignoring her thick copper-red hair and fair skin, instead fixating on the puffiness under her usually bright green eyes. Sheâd tossed and turned the night before, worrying about her fatherâs declining health. Family was everything to her, and aside from her husband Pete and her sister Sophie, her dad was all the family she had.
After sheâd finished her cup of tea, she began to wonder what was keeping Pete upstairs so long. It seemed like ages since heâd gone into the bathroom for his shower, though, unlike her, he did like to do one thing, thoroughly, at a time. It was one of the things that she loved about him.
She began formulating a list in her head of what needed to be done that day, and after another ten minutes, she could wait no longer. She called to him as she put her foot on the first step.
âPete?â she called. As she reached the top of the stairs, she called again, âPete?â more loudly this time. But she knew that he wouldnât hear her anyway, no matter how loudly she spoke. His work in construction had made him hard of hearing at 40, though he denied it, insisting that she was too soft-spoken. Moving quickly down the hall now, she could hear the shower still running. She knocked on the bathroom door.
âHoney? Are you okay in there?â No answer. She turned the knob to open the door. It seemed like it was locked but Pete never locked the door. Something heavy gripped her chest, and she started banging on the door now, shouting his name. âPete! Open the door! Pete!!â She stopped to catch her breath and it was then that she felt it. Her feet were getting wet. What in the world? She looked down to see water running out from under the bathroom door. âOh my god oh my god oh my god.â She felt as though she were hyperventilating. Her heart was pounding and she couldnât breathe. She heard someone screaming âPETE!!â as she slid to the floor. She didnât realize then that the scream was coming from her.
â
Just Em on her own is a bittersweet drama/romance enveloped in Irish scenery and culture. After losing her beloved husband and discovering the plans he made for a second honeymoon in Ireland and specifically her ancestral home, Em makes the trip by herself to explore her roots and maybe heal her broken heart. While there, she unearths upsetting family secrets that change everything she knew about her family and self, but she also falls in love with Ireland and its people.
The story is compelling when it comes to its illustration of grief and how different people deal with it, whether it's by putting up walls and focusing on work or escaping to magical lands and experiences. Em is a very likeable protagonist who finds herself mourning the love of her life, while also grappling with new mind-blowing truths, making her situation more and more complex. She deals with everything as gracefully as possible and immerses herself in the beauty of Ireland.
The secondary characters, like harsh aunt Brigid, gentle Jack, and witchy Muriel, enhance the narrative with their personalities and roles in the family drama. The smooth, easy-to-read plot effectively combines them with depictions of Ireland, from its nature and folklore to its everyday life and parts of its history.
Unfortunately, I felt that the focus was more on travel-guide Irishness than on developing a strong story. I found the latter a bit slow and predictable, so when I finished the book, I can't say that I was satisfied by the overall experience. Yes, Ireland is stunning, and its customs are often surreal to US travellers, but this depiction has already been done so much. Just Em on her own could have gone deeper into the grit and spirit of the Irish to deliver something fresh and more intriguing for the purposes of this particular narrative.
This, however, is my personal, subjective opinion. At the end of the day, Just Em on her own is a sweet, well-written book for fans of easy-going dramas and romances with magical undertones and an enchanting Irish setting.