No Matter What by Cara Bastone
Set in Brooklyn, No Matter What is a gorgeous, heartbreaking second chance, marriage-in-trouble romance between Vin and Roz, good people who have lost their connection. As the book begins, Roz finds a lease on the kitchen table in their apartment and thinks that Vin is leaving her. They have had the year from hell, surviving an awful accident (no spoilers) and then trying to get themselves, and Vin’s younger brother Raff, back to normal. After a year of recuperation Raff has moved out, but all they have been through has torn Roz and Vin’s marriage to pieces.
In this moment, Roz knows she loves Vin, but he won’t communicate with her and now he’s moved to the guest room, so there is no intimacy between them, or even time to be kind to each other. Vin is the loveliest guy, but the worst communicator ever. Roz finds herself at a drawing class, something she’d loved doing when she was younger, but something which had fallen away with their busy lives. The class offers new friendships and new perspectives, especially when Vin offers to life-model for her. Vin meantime is trying to express his feelings… but it’s hard.
Vin is intensely protective of Raff, who is also Roz’s best friend and is therefore a critical part of the dynamic between the couple. This makes Raff both someone who ties Roz and Vin together as a found family, but is also a third wheel in their marriage – especially while he’s recuperating. All three of them were injured, so trauma and PTSD are present and largely undiagnosed, and the author’s exploration of both the symptoms and effects of PTSD is superb. Brooklyn – and New York itself – is integral to their story, from picnics in Prospect Park, riding the subway, Roz’s rent-controlled apartment, and walking, walking, walking, to the comfort they have in their neighbourhood, the setting is incredibly vivid. Roz works for a non-profit that repurposes food waste, devising recipes based on what is available in the box/fridge/cupboard to make nutritious cheap and delicious meals. I’ve read a lot of romances with characters who rely on take-away food, so being nourished by Roz’s cooking was like a warm hug.
No Matter What is a wonderful book. Cara Bastone’s writing is heartfelt and tender – she loves her characters (who are are older (Vin is in his forties), working class people, doing their best) and gives them the tools to get themselves together. This one is for the romantics who want characters with depth and complexity.