The M Word by Eileen Wharton is a women’s fiction novel that I think many readers will find relatable.
Roberta’s relationship with family members is prickly at best. We find out right away that her mother was not very affectionate (that’s an understatement). As a result, Roberta herself is not a fan of her kids or her ex-husband.
Add in that she’s menopausal and…yeah. You get the picture. Everything pretty much sucks.
I think the author set the tone right away when we get a peek at Roberta’s last conversation with her mom. There is no love lost. But is there a reason for it?
You can find out what kicks everything off by reading the blurb. But I thought it was great insight into why Roberta may be the way she is – and why she decides to make some changes in her life.
There were times when I absolutely adored Roberta and was right there next to her. And there were times when she absolutely got on my nerves. I suppose in that regard, the author did a good job of making Roberta seem like a friend or someone that a reader might know.
Nobody likes someone all of the time.
I also enjoyed how the author uses the letters to both fill in the backstory, give insight, and allow Roberta to grow both in maturity (odd for a menopausal woman) and spiritually.
The hashtag subheadings were cute – and generally gave an idea of what to expect from the following section.
I can’t say that I loved the entire book. Roberta is grating at times, and there are sections that felt like they were filler to pad the page count.
But overall, The M Word was an interesting women’s fiction novel that kept me entertained (for the most part). Eileen Wharton has created a good story about one woman’s realization of her shortcomings and her journey through self-awareness to happiness.
