(The older two, Margaret and Rachel, have already left home.)Ĭlaire's parents are particularly well drawn and entertaining. Especially if it was Australian.'ĭad, who has long since realised that, in a house of women, a quiet life is to be prized at all costs (he does the Hoovering and reads Marie Claire for advice), and two of Claire's sisters student Helen, who is beautiful, totally self-centred, eats men for breakfast and spits them out again by lunchtime, and alternative Anna, vague, kind, unemployed, into horoscopes and hallucinatory substances. 'She was no stranger to romantic tragedy. She watched an average of six soap operas a day and read about four novels a week, so she was expertly placed to give her daughters advice on their broken romances.' '.the wonderful thing about my mother not cooking or doing any housework is that it meant she had plenty of time for the truly important things in life.

Two parents - Mammy Walsh, who prefers television and chick lit to cooking meals or wielding the Hoover Devastated, she goes back to the only other home she has her parents' house in Dublin.Īnd it's there that this story really takes off, because the Walsh family as a whole are a whole lot more interesting than Claire on her own. She's heartbroken - she still loves James she's incredulous - he's just overreacting, he'll be back and she's humiliated - all her friends knew of James's intentions before she did. Watermelon is the story of how Claire copes with the fallout from the shock of her life. He's met someone else (and that someone else turns out to be their neighbour Denise.) Instead he's come to inform Claire that he's leaving her. James appears at the hospital, but he's not bearing gifts, nor is he interested in his new daughter. Claire thinks so.Īs the book opens, Claire has just given birth to their baby. After all, he's good at that and she's usually far too hungover to know where to start.

Claire is the irresponsible party animal, James is the one who clears up the mess. They have a perfect flat, and a perfect life. Before long, they have moved in together, Claire has found a better job, and soon they are married. Unlike all the other city boys flashing the cash after work, James can hold a conversation. Whilst waitressing in a bar she meets tall, dark, handsome and nice accountant James. Claire Webster has left Dublin behind her.ĭespite a university education and a well paid job, she's decided to abandon Ireland, have some fun and try her luck in London.

Watermelon marian keyes summary