Maggie O'Farrell
This Must Be the Place (Vintage Contemporaries) by Maggie O'Farrell
This Must Be the Place (Vintage Contemporaries) by Maggie O'Farrell
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An irresistible love story, an unforgettable family. The New York Times bestselling author of The Marriage Portrait and Hamnet captures an extraordinary marriage with insight and laugh-out-loud humor in what Richard Russo calls “her breakout book.”
Daniel Sullivan leads a complicated life. A New Yorker living in the wilds of Ireland, he has children he never sees in California, a father he loathes in Brooklyn, and his wife, Claudette, is a reclusive ex–film star given to pulling a gun on anyone who ventures up their driveway. Together, they have made an idyllic life in the country, but a secret from Daniel’s past threatens to destroy their meticulously constructed and fiercely protected home. Shot through with humor and wisdom, This Must Be the Place is an irresistible love story that crisscrosses continents and time zones as it captures an extraordinary marriage, and an unforgettable family, with wit and deep affection.
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About the Author
Product details
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Publication
Vintage Contemporary
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Genre
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Author
Maggie O'Farrell
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Language
English
Lexile:
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Pages
382
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ISBN-13
9780345804723
This Must Be the Place (Vintage Contemporaries) by Maggie O'Farrell
Some books unfold in a way that feels like memory—fragmented, nonlinear, sometimes unclear but always rich with feeling. This Must Be The Place is one of those books.
At the center is Daniel Sullivan, a man who is both deeply intelligent and deeply flawed. A linguist who struggles with communication, a father haunted by his absence, a husband trying to hold on to something fragile. His life moves across continents—New York, Ireland, England, California—each place carrying a piece of his past and the weight of his choices.
Claudette, his wife, is a former actress who has disappeared from the public eye, retreating into a quiet life in rural Ireland. Their love is tender but complicated, shaped as much by what they don’t say as by what they do. The novel jumps through time and perspectives, showing how relationships shift, how people drift in and out of each other’s lives, and how the past never really stays in the past.
Reading this book felt like sifting through someone’s memories—sometimes clear, sometimes hazy, but always carrying an emotional weight. It’s not a straightforward story, and I found myself flipping back at times, reorienting myself in its shifting timelines. But rather than being frustrating, it felt natural, like the way we recall our own lives in moments rather than in order.
What I regret about reading this book is that I rushed through certain chapters, eager to see how it all fit together. In doing so, I may have missed some of the quieter moments, the ones that reveal more upon a slower, more careful reading. It’s a book that deserves patience—one I might return to, not to chase the plot, but to sit with its characters, to notice what I overlooked the first time.
It’s a novel about love, regret, and the way people remain with us, even when they’re no longer there. Some parts hit unexpectedly hard. Others made me pause and sit with the weight of them. It’s not a book that rushes to explain itself, but one that allows you to linger in its world, to connect the pieces at your own pace.
If you like stories that feel layered and lived-in, this one stays with you.
