AN ELEPHANT IN THE GARDEN

Is it possible life without romantic love isn t so bad An essential memoir about building life on your own terms A SUNDAY TIMES AND INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 The book I ve been waiting for my entire life DOLLY ALDERTON author of Everything I Know About Love Marks an important shift in ideas about intimacy OBSERVER The harbinger of real talent SUNDAY TIMESWhen poet Amy Key was growing up she looked forward to a life shaped by romance fuelled by desire longing and the conventional markers of success that come when you share a life with another person But that didn t happen for her Now in her forties she sets out to explore the realities of a life lived in the absence of romantic love Using Joni Mitchell s seminal album Blue which shaped Key s expectations of love as an anchor Arrangements in Blue elegantly honours a life lived completely by and for oneself Building a home travelling alone choosing whether to be a mother recognising her own milestones learning the limits of self care and the expansive potential of self friendship Key uncovers the many forms of connection and care that often go unnoticed With profound candour and intimacy Arrangements in Blue explores the painful feelings we are usually too ashamed to discuss loneliness