Book Review: "Ask Again, Yes" by Mary Beth Keane
“Ask Again, Yes” by Mary Beth Keane
Synopsis: A profoundly moving novel about two neighboring families in a suburban town, the friendship between their children, a tragedy that reverberates over four decades, the daily intimacies of marriage, and the power of forgiveness.
Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie cops in the NYPD, live next door to each other outside the city. What happens behind closed doors in both houses—the loneliness of Francis’s wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian’s wife, Anne, sets the stage for the explosive events to come.
Ask Again, Yes is a deeply affecting exploration of the lifelong friendship and love that blossoms between Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope, born six months apart. One shocking night their loyalties are divided, and their bond will be tested again and again over the next 40 years. Luminous, heartbreaking, and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes reveals the way childhood memories change when viewed from the distance of adulthood—villains lose their menace and those who appeared innocent seem less so. Kate and Peter’s love story, while haunted by echoes from the past, is marked by tenderness, generosity, and grace. - Simon & Schuster
Rating: 4.25
Review: This is one book where I felt like the synopsis absolutely did it no justice. I picked up this book for my August buddy read with Jessica, and when I read the jacket, I’ll admit that I wasn’t excited. In fact, I think this book would be perfect for a book club to pick up because there are so many facets to discuss.
The main characters of this book are the Gleeson and Stanhope families, tied together first by work, then by geography, then by tragedy, and then by love. We first meet the parents of Kate and Peter — Francis and Lena, Brian and Anne, who are in the process of getting married and settling down in a suburb of New York. As they start their families, Peter (of Brian and Anne) and Kate (of Francis and Lena) develop a close and evolving friendship. My favorite character, however, was George — Brian’s younger brother — who ends up playing a much larger role than I expected at the beginning of the book.
We are spoiler free here, which makes writing about this book very difficult, so I will borrow a phrase from the synopsis: there’s “one shocking night” about halfway through the book that clearly divides everyone’s lives into before and after. Characters are cast as villains and heroes and collateral damage, and the rest of the book is about revisiting those roles and moving past them.
The heart of this novel are Kate and Peter and their relationship — from friends, to teenage lovers, to husband and wife. Keane pulled no punches when describing their marriage, foibles and all. I do love that — life isn’t perfect, and people aren’t either — but all of their struggles were ordinary in nature. Yes, life is hard (and sometimes love is hard), but there’s good at the end of it. To me, that’s the message of this book. It is so incredibly hopeful, but it is also honest. You will love all of the characters, but you will hate them in moments.
I feel like I should say that “Ask Again, Yes” is a slow read. Incredibly slow, in fact, and it took me about 40 pages to get into the pace of reading it. This book is a character study more than anything, and as such, it would be difficult to have a fast-paced plot. I have read so many thrillers this summer that I kept waiting for something more to happen, and then when it didn’t, I had to force myself to slow down and appreciate this for what it was. I include this to say don’t give up on this one if you aren’t immediately entranced.
This entire book was wonderfully written, but if I had to choose a favorite moment, it would be about 15 pages from the end when we find out what the title means. Again, no spoilers, but it was an absolutely lovely thing to read. It is hopeful and loving and such an uplifting note at the end of this book.
Trigger warnings: gun violence, alcoholism, mental health struggles, bad parents
TL;DR: A wonderfully written character study of two complicated families that spans four decades. Will make you sad and angry and hopeful and excited, often all in the same chapter. Take the time to slow down and read this one, you won’t regret it.
If you liked this, try these:
“Miracle Creek” by Angie Kim (my review here!)
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