Uncoupled by Lizzie Enfield

“Uncoupled” is Lizzie Enfield’s second published novel and it demonstrates that she is a gifted author who fully deserves the rich praise she has been receiving. This is a much more accomplished novel than “What You Don’t Know”, which in itself was a superb debut. However the overall feeling here is of a novelist really hitting her stride and finding her voice.

The characterisations are beautifully judged, with sufficient depth to make the reader really care about their story and their lives. The main protagonist Holly survives a serious train crash where she is helped by a stranger, Daniel, a fellow commuter who stays with her until the emergency services arrive. When they meet again some weeks later on their regular commute up to London a friendship begins to develop, despite the fact that they are both already committed to other relationships. Holly’s husband Mark runs a struggling PR company, whilst Daniel’s partner Daisy is a fitness instructor. Gradually the four lives begin to intertwine, along with the mysterious Anne-Marie, who claims to be a survivor from the same rail crash.

Enfield successfully juggles these five main characters alongside a larger ensemble cast, primarily Holly’s work colleagues whose love lives provide a contrasting echo to the confusion that Holly begins to experience. She uses this wider cast of characters for some excellent observational humour which balances the book’s slightly darker tone.

Her writing style reminds me a little of early Joanna Trollope [particularly the period of “A Village Affair” and “A Spanish Lover”] especially in her deft handling of the fragility and the emotional entanglements of relationships. That comparison aside Lizzie Enfield deserves to be judged in her own right, and I am convinced that she will go on to produce a body of work that will be enjoyed by a host of admiring readers.

I would thoroughly recommend this immensely satisfying novel.