A Place To Be (Paperback)

SUMMARY A novel set in contemporary Brighton, following a group of characters in their thirties and forties, pursuing very different lifestyles. Their lives are curiously intertwined, and in their quest for the meaning of life at the turn of the millennium, they sever friendships, dissolve relationships, form strange alliances and unlikely attachments. One of the central characters, Charlotte, has moved to Brighton with her boyfriend, Zak, in a last-ditch attempt to get their highly unsuccessful, four-year relationship back on track. Convinced that they only need to find the right place to make their partnership work, it soon becomes clear that they are fast getting nowhere. Charlotte, who gave up a career as a dancer to follow writer and anarchist Zak's whim of rural isolation, gets a job as a waitress to make ends meet. She soon makes new acquaintances, and although struggling to recognize her true friends, she manages to give her life a new direction. Inevitably, she excludes Zak, who feels more and more like a dead weight, decides she'd be better off without him, and eventually vanishes. One of Charlotte's new friends is Donna, who left her husband and young children in search of excitement and adventure, ending up in an unbearable platonic relationship. She seeks solace with Liam, an ageing rock musician, trapped in a relationship with Donna's boss Annette. Donna's take on her quite public fling with Liam is that Annette is too boring and plain to have any claims on a wild spirit like Liam. Charlotte's boss Marlene gets involved with up-and-coming artist Karl. Their affair, intended to be just a meaningless fling, turns out to be the real thing. But while Marlene can't break out of her unhappy marriage, Karl gets frustrated and increasingly desperate for a commitment from her. True to his promise to keep their affair strictly fun, Karl hides his yearning from Marlene, but confides in his best friend, Marek, a bookseller with a big heart. Despite his own problems, Marek always has an open ear for his friends in need, including Liam and Zak. When Donna introduces Charlotte to a women's group, exploring a range of New Age practices, including spiritual seances, she gets drawn into a web of intrigue and deceit. She meets Lily and Glenda, a lesbian couple, who excel in manipulating their fellow searchers. Bohemian Lily, who enjoys needling the morbidly jealous Glenda, moves in on Charlotte and starts to confuse her with her bizarre stories and gossip about mutual acquaintances. Charlotte meets and falls in love with Marek but, under the influence of Lily's wild stories, finds it difficult to trust her own feelings. Tormented by self-doubts and confusion about Marek's intentions and unable to put Zak behind her, Charlotte's erratic behaviour threatens their blossoming relationship. It is only when she realizes she needs to find her own strength rather than depend on others for guidance, that she feels ready to move on.