Anywhere for You by Abbie Greaves: With a strong moral purpose and a backbone crafted on the 
personal strength it takes to move on, Anywhere for You is a slow burn read that tackles mental health, masculinity, and the loss of identity that occurs for the supporting and loyal others who are shadowed in the wingspan of depression.
For 7 years, Mary has lived her life in a routinised haze, fundamentally believing that missing boyfriend Jim will return to her side if she waits at their station stop in Earling London every evening holding a sign welcoming him home. For many, Mary is the total embodiment of pathos, and every other Greek myth as she holds on to hope with the desperation of a woman who has lost the love of her life – which she is and indeed has. And unfortunately as the slow reveal happens, it appears our lovers, Mary and Jim, didn’t end on a high. And whilst normally, it would be typical to expect another woman or another career, it is the demon in Jim’s head that hold court and indeed seduce him into leaving. As her nightly vigil goes viral on the internet, new friend Alice and co-volunteer worker Kit set out on the mission of all missions – to find Jim and determine why it is he has been missing for so long.
Whilst tension was evident, it lacked energy, and this was a key disappointment given the investment in Mary and Jim’s relationship and indeed made Mary appear significantly unwell herself. Character perspective needed further balance, as it wasn’t clear what was going on with Jim or indeed the severity of Jim’s mental health issues until the majority of the book was done and dusted, and even then, they weren’t wholly disclosed. Arguably this classic love-forever novel will speak the language of loss to those who have experienced the life-long trauma of abandonment, and it will certainly resonate with those who hold the daily vigil of hope that their loved one will one day return.
Simultaneously, it will also challenge those who have fought to carve out their own identity beyond the supporting role they play for those who they love who have a mental illness and will likely leave them wanting Alice’s full article – as I certainly did. Overall, there were some incredibly moving moments that maintained a momentum of sorts and without doubt there was an immediate investment in figuring out what happened to Jim, enough so that it is definitely worth going on the mission with Alice and Kit so that the resolution can present a happily ever after.
Book Info:
Publication: 6th April 2021 | William Morrow |
The straphangers of Ealing Broadway station are familiar with Mary O’Connor, the woman who appears every day to watch the droves of busy commuters. But Mary never asks anything from anyone. She only holds out a sign bearing a heartrending message: Come Home Jim.
While others pass her by without a thought, Alice, a junior reporter at the Ealing Bugle, asks Mary to tell her story. Many years ago, Mary met the charming and romantic Jim Whitnell. She was certain she’d found her other half, until one day he vanished without any explanation. But Mary believes that Jim isn’t a cad, that he truly loved her and will return—especially because she’s recently received grainy phone calls from him saying he misses her.
Touched but also suspicious, Alice quietly begins her own investigation into Jim’s disappearance, unraveling a decade-long story filled with desire, heartbreak, and hope. With Greaves’s signature warmth and charm, Anywhere for You is a romantic and immensely moving novel about the enduring power of love and finding happiness in unexpected places.
