‘Four friends, four secrets, one explosive weekend break that tests their friendship‘
– The Weekend Break
[ About The Weekend Break ]
VIVIENNE’S perfect life is a façade, and she at last wants out. She needs a divorce fast.
HELEN’S nightly glass of wine has become a bottle or two, and her drinking is threatening her marriage.
CLARA feels she must lie to her husband to save her sanity and reach towards some freedom.
MIRIAM, wanting to change her life, does so in the most dramatic way possible. Her friends are supportive when she tells them, but she knows there is still a hidden truth that can never be exposed.
Their time in Galway has life-changing consequences. As the weekend unfolds and their secrets are laid bare, will it be too much for some to cope with?
Will their friendship and loyalty to each other survive the weekend break and its painful aftermath?
[ My Review ]
The Weekend Break is the debut novel by Ruth O’Leary which will be published March 4th with Poolbeg Books. The scene is instantly set as it ‘opens in Heuston Station where four friends board a train for Galway’. The sense of excitement and trepidation is palpable and immediate.
Vivienne, Helen, Clara and Miriam became accidental friends when they all met on a HR course. Their relationship developed over time, each valuing the quality and importance of the friendship. Minimal connections beyond their immediate group meant that there was an element of honesty that was missing in other parts of their lives. At the beginning they used to meet for dinner but this soon developed into weekends away. A weekend break in Galway was a bit more low-key than their previous trips but, it was two weeks before Christmas and the Galway Christmas markets were always worth a visit.
Vivienne, Helen, Clara and Miriam are all under pressure and stress in their lives, with each hoping that this trip might just be the catalyst to inspire change in their respective futures.
After settling into their apartments, the veneer slowly slips away over the days that follow. In sharing their stories with each other they each come to realise the true extent of their friendship and the importance of this group. But, as we discover, some truths are more challenging to accept than others.
The Weekend Break was inspired by short trips away that Ruth O’Leary had experienced with friends. These breaks, O’Leary says, ‘allow the space for important conversations to happen, ones that may never surface on a normal night out’. Vivienne, Helen, Clara and Miriam are four different women, all dealing with the complexities of life: family, parents, relationships, grief, sadness, passion and love. Identity, confidence and a sense of loss all feature strongly throughout as we peel away the protective layers that each individual has built up in order to function in their day-to-day lives. There is a lingering sense of sadness and loss for what could have been, but there is also that sense of hope, as the weekend passes, for what could be in the future.
I do believe that most readers will connect with at least one of the women, or will certainly have more empathy for one over another, maybe even finding comparisons in their own lives. There is a rawness and an honesty attached to each individual that has a very affecting edge. The Weekend Break is an engaging and emotive tale that explores the value of female friendship. It is a poignant story that will affect many readers in a multitude of ways and will hopefully encourage a few very important conversations.
[ Bio ]
Ruth O’Leary lives in Dublin Ireland and works as a freelance movie extra. Her debut novel The Weekend Break is out in March 2024 and is the first book in a three book deal with Poolbeg Books. She is represented by Kate Nash of Kate Nash Literary Agency, London.
Her work can be found on her website www.rutholearywriter.com where she writes a blog called Rambling Ruth combining her love of travelling and writing.
She is also very active on social media on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook as @rutholearywriter.
