The Trouble With Henry and Zoe

The Trouble with Henry and Zoe by Andy Jones

Originality ♥♥♥♥♥

Quality of Writing  ♥♥♥♥

Plot ♥♥♥

Setting ♥♥♥

Character ♥♥♥♥♥

Overall ♥♥♥♥

Not an author I’ve picked up before, but the writing on the back is what initially invited me to read this book.

The Trouble with Henry and Zoe is, as the title suggests, a boy meets girl narrative, except our two main characters only meet seven months after their worlds have turned upside down. Zoe, suffering from the death of her boyfriend, Alex, plans to jump on a plane and travel the world; and Henry runs off to London with his tail between his legs after leaving his fiancé at the altar.

What I loved about this novel is how conflicted the author has made the two characters. Henry in particular – we are given an in depth narrative inside the mind of a man who jilts his bride which is an unusual perspective in fiction. And Zoe’s loss is heartbreaking – not just because he was her boyfriend, but also because even though she cared for him, she wasn’t sure if he actually loved him.

Throughout the novel I wasn’t sure how I was supposed to feel about these two characters. They certainly were not two dimensional, but I was often stuck between pity, anger and sadness. I suppose this is what made this book so engaging – because I realise now how real each character was.

The narrative was slow going, but definitely an easy read. In all, I’m glad I stuck through to the end.

4 stars.