What a powerful tale; a really unexpected treasure. This is the story of Tom and his quest to find himself. It’s such a simple premise; he’s reached mid life, there’s a health concern and he’s living with the memory of betrayal by his wife, Amy, some years earlier. He drops his daughter off at university and instead of going home, just keeps driving. It’s part road trip as he seeks out old friends and reflects on his future. It’s observant, poignant and I suspect it’ll strike a chord with many. What happens in the empty nest home? The kids have gone and over a decade or two, relationships change. Will Tom and Amy have a future together? What are the ties that bind and how easy is it to break bonds? This is reflective without being claustrophobic and too introspective. Very well written and totally absorbing. Really enjoyed this.

"Nobody tells you what an intense experience loneliness is, how it has a lot of variations..."

Let me start by saying I didn't know what to expect from this book. A Jazzy cover, a title implying a romance, few reviews online for me to pre-empt a narrative. None of that mattered when I jumped in to this book.

Following the life of protagonist Tom as he drops his daughter at college and takes himself on a long trip across country meeting friends of old and strangers at basketball courts - this novel plunges straight into male mental health and what it's like getting by when there's nobody there who knows what's happening inside your head.

I freaking loved this book for how matter-of-fact and easy to read it was whilst simultaneously touching on deep topics and the tragedy of your life passing you by.

Highly recommended if you want to read something real and something that will resonate.

A bit of a slow start, but the light & easy writing style kept me reading till the end, so I would say high points for engagement.

Would have loved a bit more closure on a few side stories, but I have to live without.

Overall, enjoyable.

What struck me about this novel was the similarity, of narrative style, with Raymond Carver. I say that as a compliment, of course. And that style carries the reader through this quest type story, of Tom, whose wife, Amy has in the past had a affair, their son has left home, and their daughter is off to college. The question being asked, really, is what do you do when that happens - when you're left to live with the person who's betrayed you? There is another question running through this story, though, and that's Tom's illness, which other characters are concerned about, but he brushes off. As he travels alone, visiting old friends and his brother, and finally his son, there is a sense that he's reliving the past, perhaps even saying goodbye, and this adds to the mystery of his illness. In the end, we find out what's going on with him, and yes, the ending does ask the question, what will we do with the rest of our lives?

I'm tempted to say this is the best novel I've read this year, in fact, I'll say it. It really was the best novel I've read this year. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.

As he drives his daughter Miri the seven- hour trip to start college, Tom recalls the promise he made to himself twelve years ago when his wife had an affair, that he would leave her when his kids were up. So instead of returning home, he drives on with no clear plan in mind.
As his journey and stop-overs progress, some planned and others random, Tom looks back on his life and the reader becomes acquainted with this gentle, easy-going but complicated man.
He has spent years wrestling unsuccessfully with the whys and wherefores of his wife’s betrayal, trying to justify why it came about, mulling over how it has changedhis marriage even still and how things might have been different. With the added stress of unresolved health issues and Miri leaving for college, he tries to park them and live for the moment, in the car, eating fast food and shooting hoops when he comes across a court.
Even though that sounds unpromising, the strength of this lovely read, The Rest Of Our Lives, lies in it’s rhythm and flow. Despite the frustrations and flaws of the characters and uncertainties surrounding the ultimate destination, interesting conclusions are drawn along the way. Tom’s son’s girlfriend has some memorable ideas on the nature of healing, Tom reminds himself about the specialised branches of crazy and the journey continues to feel comfortable throughout.

When Tom’s wife cheats on him, he resolves to leave her once his youngest child leaves home. That time has now arrived as he drives his daughter Miri across America to university, then continues driving and decides to look up friends and family from his past. He is on the cusp of change in several ways, as he has been put on leave from his job as a law professor after students complained about him, and he has some persistent health issues which evryone tells him he should get checked out. This trip provides a turning point for what he really wants from the rest of his life. I enjoyed this book and found it quite thought provoking. The characters are flawed and not always easy to understand or even like, but this makes them realistic and believable. It highlights how life can throw curveballs at you and how things don’t always happen as you want or expect, but that there are compensations and surprises even late in life.

The Rest of Our Lives offers a unique insight into fifty-five year old Tom’s mid-life crisis after dropping his youngest daughter off at university. Tom is a flawed character whose views are insulting at times, however he feels more realistic because of this. The novel dives between the past and the present seamlessly and although not much time passes during this novel, you get to know the characters very well. However, the subplot about racism in basketball felt very random and weird. I think this book would be more impactful if I was older, as the experiences would be more relatable.

The Rest of Our Lives is a deceptively complex and layered account of a mid-life crisis, disguised as a road novel. Although it's a very American novel (and how you feel about that may influence your response to it), the road aspect does not seem that central. It's the insights, fears and confusions of Tom, the narrator, that grip you as a reader. As such, it's quite focused on the white middle-aged male experience, although the important female characters, such as Tom's wife, Amy, daughter, Miri, and former girlfriend, Jill, are also well drawn. Markovits is also good on the low key alienation Tom feels, as he struggles to come to terms with how the world is changing, signalled by the (slightly jarring) subplot about race in basketball. This is summed up in Tom's exasperated wish: "I just wanted to sit around and read books for the rest of my life". Many of us can empathise with tat. There are also plenty of pithy observations, like "Getting out of a hospital is like escaping the casino, they don't make it easy for you", which shows you how much Markovits packs into what is a fairly short novel. An impressive achievement - not sure about the cover though.

Billed appealingly as a road novel, The Rest of Our Lives follows fifty-five-year-old Tom Layward whose daughter is about to start college leaving an empty nest behind her and parents who are unsure of their own future after a long marriage over which an affair has cast a shadow. Tom’s health seems to be a concern to everyone, but his doctor and he’s been suspended from his professorship for his political stance, unbeknownst to his wife, Amy. After driving his daughter to Pittsburgh, he sets off on an odyssey not quite knowing where he’s going, talking to the version of Amy he once knew in his head as he drives while ignoring her messages.
We’re in classic mid-life crisis territory as Tom remembers his youth, wonders about resurrecting the idea he had for a novel, broods on Amy’s affair and what their future life together might be if there is to be one. He’s a man a little out of step with modern sensibilities, finding out-and-out racism repugnant but not quite understanding why lumping Japanese and Korean cuisines together into ‘Asian food’ might be considered insulting. The novel is brought to a close with the kind of event that might be expected in a middle-aged man. I enjoyed this one for its structure but I’m not sure I’ll be reading another book by Markovits.

The Rest of Our Lives by Ben Markovits

Tom drops his youngest daughter Miri off at university and just keeps driving, visiting various people along the way but with no real plan. But he can't run forever, he has to face up to his health issues and his wife, who had an affair 12 years ago and whom he intended to leave once Miri left home.

Loved this! I read it ahead of many others that are being published before it, mainly because my youngest has just left for university too. I absolutely loved it - the perfect mix of funny, poignant and thought-provoking. Very VERY highly recommended.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Tom made a pact and he abides by it by having a literal trip down the memory lane.
The novel deals with important themes about getting older, health, memories, marriage, children via a road trip as the framework.
It was utterly touching and insightful.
3.5 stars. Though, I would like to read it again after Christmas, and when in the right mood, I think it will hit me differently, and I will be able to grasp some of the things Tom goes through related to his health and age a bit more. In other words, it is the kind of book that you can read at least twice and gain new insights the second time.

Such a great book that explores what else is out there and who am I? It shows it’s never to late to start over and find yourself