Find Me at Willoughby Close
Find Me at Willoughby Close by Kate Hewitt 2017 Tule Publishing Group
[image error]This is a women’s literature story more than a romance and is a good example of the emotional turmoil a woman experiences as her world falls apart when she discovers her husband has lied to her.
Harriet Lang finds out her husband, Richard, has been making long phone calls in the middle of the night to his 26-year-old attractive assistant, Meghan. She is the mother of three, Mallory, 11, William, 9, and Chloe, 6. She lives in the perfect world of the upper class and her children are enrolled in all sorts of programs while she chairs several committees.
Richard tells her they are broke. He lost his job six months ago, and they are going to lose their big, beautiful home. He said he didn’t sleep with Meghan but kissed her and has been confiding in her all these months. He stays in London looking for a job while Harriet moves her family to a rental at Willoughby Close. Her landlady is elderly Lady Stokely. She sells their expensive belongings for a fraction of what they’re worth and cancels all the classes her children belong to except for one each.
Her old friends abandon her, but she begins to make new ones as does Mallory. Everyone is angry, tearful, and unsure of the future. Hewitt treats her characters realistically. Harriet helps Lady Stokely who has cancer and in doing so focuses on someone else’s problems. She recognizes that she and Richard drifted apart as they were caught up in wealth and impressing others. As she simplifies her life, she appreciates other things in life.
When Richard and Harriet meet to talk things out, he tells her all the things he didn’t like about her, and she is furious and hurt. His confiding in Meghan hurts more than the kissing, and he says he is still friends with her, unwilling to break all ties with her. Harriet files for legal separation.
When Richard takes the children to his parents for a holiday, Harriet visits her parents, who she hasn’t seen in years and realizes how badly she’s ignored them and has been ashamed because they aren’t rich but live simply. Her fathr teaches her that life changes and people can grow from the experience. She goes on a date and kisses the man, but it’s not the same as Richard.
Richard is drunk after learning she went on a date and sleeps on her couch. He realizes how Harriet feels about Meghan’s friendship and breaks it off. They spend more time together as a family. She gets several part time jobs, and he finally is offered a hedge job that pays a lot of money but has a lot of risks like the job he lost. He takes her to the mansion she always talked about in the past. She tells him she doesn’t want it. She’s changed. She wants him to teach, but he’s angry. He had to prove he was still good enough to get the job he lost but will he realize that’s not what Harriet wants anymore?
The writer resolves the story, but this is the type of problem that can have different solutions. It should reflect real life where some people reconcile, others separate amicably, and others have fractured relationships that never quite heal.
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