After reading Moyes last book, ME BEFORE YOU, which I thoroughly enjoyed as did Evie, I decided to read her most recent, ONE PLUS ONE, to see if she could sustain the readers' interest. And she does, in a formulaic way. Like her previous novel, she takes two unlikely people, throws them together, sparks fly in the most unlikely fashion, then dim only to be relit by the end of the novel. No surprise.
The story begins with Ed, living a life of luxury, a result of being the founder of a software company that has just been bought out for millions. Unfortunately, he soon loses his job and faces imprisonment for insider trading. A bit naive, he gives a girl friend(to get rid of her) 500 pounds to invest in his companies stock, knowing the price will go up. He never thinks about it's illegality until confronted with the evidence. So much for Ed. Now to his house cleaner, Jess, with a husband supposedly suffering from depression, who has been living with his mother for two year. Jess is left to support and raise two kids on her own. To make ends meet, she tends bar in the evenings, cleans houses during the day. Both her kids are different, so much so that they are bullied by the neighbor hood toughs. Nicky is sixteen, wears eyeliner, and does not fit in and Tanzie, a 12 year old, is an unlikely math prodigy.
The story takes off when Tanzie is offered a scholarship to a prestigious prep school but her scholarship only covers 90% of the costs. Some how Jess must make up the difference. Tanzie's teacher mentions a math competition, one where the winner comes home with 500 pounds. Jess is determined to find the money for Tanzie and they decide to drive to Scotland to compete in the contest, despite the fact their car has been sitting in the garage for two years and Jess has not driven since. Meanwhile, Ed has been on a bender, having lost his job, probably his income, and his wife. Feeling sorry for himself, for his selfishness, he drives home from a bar and comes across Jess, kids and dog, in a broken down car, getting a ticket from the police. Uncharacteristically, he stops because he thinks he has seen this women before.
On a whim, Ed volunteers to drive this motley crew to Scotland, a three day trip and the unlikely romance begins. The two are ill suited, having come from very different classes, occupations, and backgrounds, but beneath the veneer of their social classes, lurk two good people, people who want to 'just connect' as E. M Forester says in his great novel, A PASSAGE TO INDIA. After three days of trouble, of sleeping in cars because they have a dog, eating take outs, they finally make to Scotland and the math competition, but Tanzie is intimidated by the testing format and leaves early. They head home, stopping at various motels, and Ed and Jess fall madly in love. Things look as though there may be a way forward for everyone. That is until Ed finds out that Jess had not been entirely truthful to him, that she had previously found his driver's license and 500 pounds after taking him home from a bender, but never told him. She used the 500 pounds to hold a spot for Tanzie at the prep school.
Thus, things fall apart and both fall back into their old lives until Ed realizes that he loves Jess, that there were extenuating circumstances, and that Jess had every intention of paying him back. And the maths competition happens to call him because they left his cell phone number, to say there was a problem with one of the questions, and the test will be given again. Ed now has an excuse to see Jess, drives to her home, confesses his love, and tells her about the test. They hug, and all four and the dog jump in Ed's used car, and off they off to Tanzie's test. And the book ends. It was a fun read though the reader has a pretty good idea where the book's going from the beginning especially if you read ME BEFORE YOU.
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