Marnie Walsh, a 38-year-old London copy editor, embraces the fact that she has more control over her time than her friends with spouses and children do—but she starts to question the appeal of her lifestyle when an autogenerated year-in-review photo compilation reveals only “her oven light-bulb, a recipe for hearty lentil soup, a close-up of an ingrowing hair…all accompanied by Carole King’s ‘You’ve Got a Friend.’” Marnie’s most steadfast friend, Cleo Fraser, is eager to capitalize on Marnie’s recent self-awareness and invites her on a trip to the northern countryside. This is much to the dismay of Cleo’s colleague, geography teacher Michael Bradshaw, who had planned this walk across northern England from west coast to east as a solo undertaking. Michael is just as lonely as Marnie but even more depressed. While Marnie’s coping mechanism is a Bridget Jonesian style of self-deprecating humor, Michael’s is to walk the countryside until numbness sets in. Cleo’s intention is to bring a group of singleton friends together, but given Michael’s recent, painful separation from his wife, “trying to picture himself on a date now was like trying to imagine himself bungee-jumping, theoretically possible but under what circumstances?” As Michael and Marnie walk together, they begin to banter, and the fresh air and copious pints at trailside pubs revive long-buried versions of themselves. Like their arduous walk, this love story isn’t glamorous or fast-paced but it’s worth the mileage. Given the witty dialogue and sublime natural settings (think Wordsworth and Brontë), it’s not hard to imagine this as another of Nicholls’ big-screen adaptations, like One Day (2009).

A relatable and satisfyingly realistic love story to cure any lingering lockdown blues.

YOU ARE HERE

by David Nicholls