I loved Don’t You Forget About Me so much. I’ve read a few of Mhairi McFarlane’s books before – and I’ve reserved two at the library to take on my upcoming holiday. She has this amazing ability to make each situation feel real as well as hilarious. This story tells the tale of Georgina – a nearly 30-year-old woman stuck in a rut. Due to personal circumstances, she quit university and stumbles in and out of disaster jobs for the next ten years. Her family is concerned with where she’s ended up and a disaster with her love-life makes her reevaluate some things. We learn that Georgina had an intense relationship with her first love at sixth-form but the flashback at the beginning leaves the story unfinished – how and why did the relationship end? Flash-forward and she’s forced to come face to face with him again, though not all is as it seems. We gradually learn that Georgina has suffered some traumas throughout her life and has to face up to her past. A subplot of the novel deals with Georgina coming to terms with a personal bereavement, and as I have personal experience with this, I found the way McFarlane talked about it spot-on; it really gave me some food for thought. There were a number of times that I properly laughed at loud with this book – it always happens when I’m on a packed train – and I encourage anyone to give it a go. It’s a hilarious and thoughtful story about first love and second chances. The fact that the title is a reference to one of my favourite 80s songs – and a regular mainstay at Ultimate Power – only made me love it more.
Photo by Clem Onojeghuo on Unsplash
