“We repeat what we don’t repair,” -Mary Beth Keane, Ask Again, Yes

“Ask Again, Yes” by Mary Beth Keane is a fascinating tale of two families impacted in completely different ways by one person’s mental illness. Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, two Irish rookie NYPD cops in Brooklyn, are next door neighbors outside of the city and each other’s children grow up together. Brian’s wife, Anne has unmedicated mental illness affecting her husband and son, Peter.

Ms. Keane’s story is one of friendship and love with extended family history and how the choices a parent makes will affect the generations that follow, good or bad, right or wrong. It is both a captivating and heartbreaking story.

Ms. Keane’s novel focuses on marriage and relationships. Themes of family, raising kids, holding together a marriage over many years, dealing with the unexpected, difficult circumstances of life, growing up. The book is about how life changes and how if we don’t deal with our feelings, our hopes and disappointments, then they resolve themselves in their own way.

This book was an excellent novel with great depth and inspiration that I recommend to anyone interested in mental illness and its effect on relationships.

Get a copy of “Ask Again, Yes,” by Mary Beth Keane from Amazon here.