You Are Here

David Nicholls's latest novel is wonderful company if you enjoy a good, long hike and a slow-burn romance. Marnie is a 38-year-old divorcee who is nearly agoraphobic since becoming a self-employed copy editor post-pandemic, and Michael is a 42-year-old geography teacher who's taking increasingly solitary walks in his free time since his wife left him over a year ago. The two meet when their mutual friend Cleo invites herself and a handful of others on what was meant to be Michael's solo coast-to-coast walking holiday across the English countryside. You Are Here successfully places you wherever here is: from the train ride to the starting shore to the side of a mountain in a miserable downpour to the refuge of a swanky lodge to a raucous pub. When the larger group dissolves leaving just Marnie and Michael to continue onward, their friendly rapport builds. Michael and Marnie's interactions are awkward, sweet, witty, fun, and vulnerable. I loved it, I loved them, and I loved those darling hand-drawn maps, too.