By chance I was reading a magazine interview with Ruth Jones and read that she’d only gone and written a book! “Never Greener” was published in April this year. It’s not my usual subject matter but as it’s Ruth, I knew it would be well written.
I absolutely love everything about Ruth Jones, apart from the fact that she’s Welsh!! From her brilliant award winning screen writing for Gavin and Stacy and Stella to her various acting characters going back as far as Kelly Chadwick in Fat Friends.
“Never Greener” is a story about love and relationships and it delves into the feelings of “first love” and how deeply it affects a person, especially if you have an intense relationship as the characters Kate and Callum do in this book. As well as hidden secrets, lies and a baby, it’s bound to be quite emotionally explosive.
The main character in “Never Greener” is Kate Andrews’, who is seemingly outwardly confident and happy, is quite an emotional wreck “behind the scenes”. Her husband Matt helps and encourages her endlessly, but to no avail – although Kate loves him and their daughter Tallulah, she is never fully “with them” – constantly fighting her inner demons caused by the upset of her affair with an older man, Callum McGregor in her early 20’s before she became a famous actress.
Matt is a loveable character, whose heart is in the right place, but it’s just with the wrong woman. He idolises her and is a first class Daddy to their daughter, so when he finally has to face some home truths, his life ends up becoming more fulfilled which is finally reciprocated in his new relationship with a new partner, although there are a few twists along the way.
Callum McGregor is a confusing character, he’s not a mean character with no feelings for his wife Belinda and his three children, but his ego gets carried away with being wanted by a younger attractive woman, and what starts out as an unplanned “one night stand” soon becomes an obsession. His inner turmoil mirrors that of Kate’s but more to do with the guilt of the affair and the aftermath, rather than his feelings for Kate.
What I don’t and can’t understand is why people have affairs in the first place as they know that –
1) they are going to get caught out in the end, as their lies will catch up with them
2) they are going to hurt their family/loved ones and
3) nobody is forcing them to have the affair
To get back to Ruth Jones’ book though. It was well written and an easy read, which I thought would be the case as she’s such a great screen writer. For me though, I think I will go back to reading my psychological thrillers – maybe Ruth Jones’ will write a second book and it can be a thriller!! 😉
Well Done Ruth Jones – long may you continue to write, whether it’s books or for television, I will enjoy both reading and watching your work.