As a big fan of Beth Leary’s first book, The Flat Share, I worried that her second book had some very big shoes to fill. I am so happy to report that The Switch is its equal in charm and character, and is even more heartwarming.
The Switch is not a body swap story a la Freaky Friday, but instead is more along the lines of that Cameron Diaz/Kate Winslet movie, The Holiday – two people needing a change in their lives swap places.
Beth O’Leary
The book opens with twenty-something Leena Cotton completely ballsing up a presentation at work and getting told to take time off, which leads her to visit her grandmother Eileen, who is in her own predicament as she wants to start dating again (at age 79!) but lives in a small town with very few eligible men.
Leena decides what they both need is a break from their normal lives and she proposes a swap – she will stay in Eileen’s small town and take on her responsibilities in the village and Eileen will move into Leena’s flat in London to kickstart her ailing love life and get to experience life in the city as a single woman.
What follows is an hilarious yet touching story that will make you cheer the characters along as they discover who they really are, and leaves you feeling good long after you have finished the book. Eileen is the most endearing character I have read this year, and to me she is the real star of this novel (I picture her as a mix of Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin in Grace and Frankie). That’s not to say that Leena doesn’t get her own moments to shine – some of the funniest scenes in the book take place between Leena and the local villagers, and Beth Leary really writes these scenes in such a way that brings every character to life. The romance subplots were also deftly handled, feeling organic and just right!
This is the perfect read for when you need a pick-me-up and need to remember all the things that are good in the world.
—The Switch by Beth O’Leary (Hachette Books Australia) is out now.
The Switch
Eileen is sick of being 79. Leena's tired of life in her twenties. Maybe it's time they swapped places...
When overachiever Leena Cotton is ordered to take a two-month sabbatical after blowing a big presentation at work, she escapes to her grandmother Eileen's house for some overdue rest. Eileen is newly single and about to turn eighty. She'd like a second chance at love, but her tiny Yorkshire village doesn't offer many eligible gentlemen. Once Leena learns of Eileen's romantic predicament, she proposes a solution...
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