TRUST is the debut novel from, the BAFTA award winning writer of TV’s Cold Feet, Mike Bullen. It was published in November 2015 by Sphere.
‘Trust wasn’t something you could have in degrees; it was all or nothing…..’
When one bad decision sends a happy couple into turmoil and turns an unhappy couple into love’s young dream, there’s only one thing that can keep everything from falling apart: trust.
TRUST is a laugh-out-loud tale of contemporary relationships, perfect for anyone who has ever fallen in love. Or out of love. Or back in love again.
I received a copy of TRUST from a friend and decided it was time to dust it off out of my TBR and have a read. TRUST is exactly as it claims to be. It is a book that will make you laugh. It is book that will make you stop and look at your own relationship. It is a book that you will enjoy!!
TRUST tells the story of two couples. Greg & Amanda, who have been together for thirteen years and have two young daughters but never married. Then we have Dan & Sarah, who have been married for sixteen years and have one teenage son, Russell.
Greg & Dan both work in sales with the same company. Greg is the typical outgoing, brash & cocky sales guy. Dan is more solid and is a more practical character, NEVER the risk taker. They are both approaching ‘Middle Age’ with a fear of growing old. Their lives are established with no major changes in the foreseeable future. That is until…..Greg and Dan go on sales conference together.
Now, obviously, I can’t be giving away any spoilers. As Greg says to Dan ‘we don’t breath a word of this to anyone. What happens on tour, stays on tour, right? Our little secret.’
It is at this point the book changes. We no longer have the straightforward, uncomplicated lives of two salesmen to read about. The book continues as a perfect example of what not to do. One lie begets another until no-one is really too sure of the truth anymore.
We realise the ripple-effect one decision can have on so many lives. It really is a very good eye-opener, with Mike Bullen’s humour, of what NOT to do in a relationship.
One aspect of TRUST that is very well portrayed is the woman’s viewpoint in the relationships.
We discover how Sarah really feels in her marriage to Dan. Her sadness at the decline in their relations is palpable off the page. She is portrayed as a very dissatisfied woman, a woman who feels her best years are behind her and has accepted the mundanity of her everyday life. She struggles with a husband she no longer has sexual feelings for and a teenage son who no longer communicates with her. Her life changes completely when Dan returns from the conference.
Amanda, on the other hand, is extremely happy with her life. She loves and trusts Greg completely. They have never married due to her unwillingness to commit after witnessing the breakdown of her own parent’s marriage. Also, her sister, Geri is on the other side of a divorce, another example in Amanda’s eyes, of a marriage gone wrong.. Amanda works as a vet, loves her two girls very much and with Greg, she has no need for anything else in her life. She is well aware of the flirtatious side of Greg’s personality but believes and trusts in his fidelity completely.
Mike Bullen tackles relationships in a very real way. Underneath all the funny quips and stories, we see the lives of ordinary people being upended and changed forever.
There are lots of different aspects of TRUST that I liked. Overall it is very easy, uncomplicated book. One of those books you love to read and pass onto a friend, knowing that you are loaning them a book they are sure to enjoy.
Let me know what you think.
Til Next Time.
Mairéad
About the Author
Mike Bullen is the BAFTA-winning writer of TV’s Cold Feet, which ran for five series in the UK and sold to more than thirty countries worldwide. In 2003, Mike was named Writer of the Year at the UK TV Comedy Awards. Prior to his career in television, he was a radio presenter and producer, working primarily for the BBC World Service. Mike lives in Sydney, Australia, with his wife and two teenage daughters. TRUST is his first novel.
