(Autorenplausch) Alice Peterson: Kein Mann für jeden Tag

Titel: Kein Mann für jeden Tag

Autor: Alice Peterson

Originaltitel: Monday to Friday Man

352 Seiten, ISBN: 3785760671

Euro: 14,99

http://www.alicepeterson.co.uk/

Monday to Friday Man is probably my most autobiographical novel to date. I wrote it at a time when I was in my mid thirties, single, and more and more of my friends were marrying, having children and moving out of London to the countryside. I used to dread those change of address cards coming through the post! So, this was the beginning of an idea. My heroine, Gilly Brown, is thirty-four, her boyfriend left her two weeks before her wedding, and suddenly she’s single again. Her friends are rapidly leaving the city in favour of more space in the country, and Gilly has only her beloved dog, Ruskin, for company.

Gilly Brown is one of my favourite characters. She’s full of flaws and flat-footed like the rest of us, but she’s also kind, funny and the most loyal friend. As the novel progresses we understand a little more why she is so vulnerable too. Through a sequence of flashback chapters we see she comes from a fractured background. Her parents divorce after the deep sadness of what happens to Gilly’s little sister, Megan. I don’t want to give too much away as to what happens to Megan and the family, but what I will say is it very much shapes Gilly’s character – and I think we can then forgive her insecurities. All she wants, like most people, is to find ‘the one’ and to be happy.

The dog-walking world is a central theme throughout the novel, and again this was inspired by my own situation. I bought a dog five years ago, Mr Darcy, a Lucas Terrier, and he has transformed my life! Every morning I meet my fellow dog-walking friends in the park, under the chestnut tree. I have met many lovely new friends from all different backgrounds, and they gave me all the ammunition I needed!

The dog-walkers in Monday to Friday Man are Gilly’s family. When Gilly decides that she wants to find a lodger to help pay the mortgage and possibly cure her loneliness, it’s her dog-walkers who are rather suspicious of the seemingly perfect Jack Baker. Jack Baker is a reality television producer, who moves into Gilly’s flat from Monday to Friday, but what exactly does he get up to at the weekend? The newest recruit to the dog-walking set is Guy Cox. He really doesn’t trust Jack, but is that because he’s falling for our heroine too?

Monday to Friday Man also has a disability theme, which can be found in all my novels. When I was eighteen I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, a condition that turned my world upside down. I was a national tennis player, on the verge of a scholarship to the USA, when I was diagnosed. Not being able to play tennis now is a huge sadness. However, the one thing I hold on to dearly is that through all the pain, I found my passion for writing. Disability will always influence my work, and I think it gives novels of this genre an added depth and poignancy.

Finally, Monday to Friday Man is a comedy and moving love story. One review said it had echoes of Jane Austen, A Room With A View, and Bridget Jones’s Diary – what more could I ask for? I hope you enjoy it too.