Nice and bright, she’d said. Smartens you up. Which was really as good as it got from her mother.
And now, halfway through her second glass of wine, the fear of dropping something or spilling something didn’t seem to matter quite so much anymore. And the knot in her stomach she’d had all day had practically vanished, so she could enjoy the food instead of forcing it down.
She supposed she was a bit merry, not used to drinking wine—or any kind of alcohol, for that matter. She suspected that she might feel a little worse for wear in the morning. But who cared, with no music lessons on a Sunday?
She smiled across the table at her only adult pupil, remembering how sick she’d been at the thought of phoning him, how she’d been sure she was actually going to throw up as she’d dialed the number on his business card. How she’d forced herself to stay on the line until he answered, how she’d hardly been able to get a word out, so terrified she’d felt.
But incredibly, it had worked. He’d agreed to come back. She’d taken the initiative, and things had gone the way she wanted them to go. And now here she was, on her first-ever date at twenty-nine years of age.
Just a small little get-together, nothing fancy, he’d said. Wally’s coming.
He’d made it as easy as he could. He’d made it impossible for her to say no. Not that she’d wanted to say no.
Not that she hadn’t been terrified at the thought of it all the same, even with Wally there. But now that she’d loosened up a bit, she was beginning see why people went out on dates.
In fact, she was quite prepared to try it again sometime.
They ate the salmon pizza, and the raspberry ice cream that followed. They blew out the thirty-two candles on the giant peanut-butter cupcake that Hannah had made. They raised their glasses and wished Adam a happy birthday.
And later, when Wally and Vivienne had left in a taxi, Adam ignored Hannah’s mild protest and refilled their glasses.
“Tomorrow’s Sunday,” he said, “and we have to toast you for being daft enough to open a shop in the middle of a recession.”
She smiled wearily, easing her feet out of her shoes and leaning her elbows on the table that was still littered with plates and glasses. “Yes, that was very sensible, wasn’t it?”
“And for reaching the seven-month mark, still solvent—not that I ever doubted you—and still in one piece.”
“Just about.”
“And for putting up with me and Kirby for the past six months.”
“Yes,” she said. “That was very difficult.” She lifted her glass. “To us,” she said, “who love each other madly and who thankfully might not have to marry each other after all.”
“I’ll drink to that.”
They finished the wine and cut another two slices from the birthday cupcake. They made a halfhearted attempt at the washing-up and put Kirby out for the night. Hannah closed the windows, and Adam bolted the doors.
And then they went upstairs to bed.
Thanks a Million
To my agents, Faith and Lauren, for their invaluable support.
To my Irish editor, Ciara, who always mixes business with pleasure.
To my U.S. editor, Sara, for ensuring that my first book to cross the Atlantic made it in one piece.
To my family, behind me all the way since the very first novel.
To anyone who buys this book—where would I be without you?
How Not to Write a Novel
By Roisin Meaney
You know those writers who get up every morning and sit at their desks for a set number of hours each day, ignoring phones and doorbells, conscientiously committing words to paper, or to screen, until they’ve reached their quota? I am not one of them.
I write when I feel like it, or when the humor is on me, as we say here in Ireland. I write when an idea comes calling, or when a deadline is approaching, or when it’s raining outside and I can’t face the housework. I might write for half an hour, or I might spend the whole day at it. I take breaks when I want, I make tea when I feel like it, I answer the doorbell when anyone comes calling. Disciplined I most decidedly am not.
You can see, then, why it’s a source of constant amazement to me that, despite my disgracefully haphazard approach to writing, I’ve managed to produce seven novels and meet all my deadlines along the way. I have no explanation.
Having said that, whatever the reason that gets me sitting in front of the laptop, I inevitably enjoy the experience. That’s not to say I always produce something worthwhile—I’ve often deleted every word at the end of a writing session—but the act itself, tapping away at the keyboard, teasing out a story, shaping a scene, fashioning a conversation, all this I find immensely satisfying. Not a day goes by that I don’t give thanks to whatever serendipitous circumstances finally allowed me to walk away from my teaching job and become a full-time writer at the ripe old age of forty-eight.
And when it comes to pleasurable experiences, I have to say that writing Semi-Sweet was up there with the best of them. From start to finish, this book is stuffed with self-indulgence. Next to writing, my favorite occupation is baking. I can’t remember when it started, but for an awfully long time, I’ve absolutely adored tucking myself away in my kitchen and surrounding myself with cookbooks and mixing bowls and ingredients—and if the wind is howling outside and the rain is pelting against the windows (which is often the case here), so much the better. I turn on the radio and tune out the rest of the world, and beat and whisk and knead to my little heart’s content.
Baking, and cooking in general, has featured to a greater or lesser extent in all my novels. I’ve always managed to sneak in a character who likes to bake, or who’s hopeless at baking but who’s just enrolled in classes, or who simply goes to a lot of dinner parties. I love writing about food—desserts and confectionery in particular. I love playing around with descriptions and trying to make everything sound as appetizing as possible, and I’m always delighted when someone says, “Your book made me so hungry.” It’s right up there with “Your book made me cry.”
You can understand, then, why the idea of writing about someone opening a cupcake shop would appeal. For the time it took to produce Semi-Sweet, I was in my element, tracking down different recipes and trying them out (well, I had to make sure they were okay for Hannah to use), pondering the merits of coffee over pistachio frosting—bliss, pure bliss.
It’s no coincidence that around the time I was doing all this cupcake testing, I also enrolled in a pilates class and did more walking than usual. (An added benefit of being a baker, in my opinion, is that it forces you to exercise more, so the guilt doesn’t take over. Guilt is a big factor in any Irish-Catholic psyche, but it does tend to keep you pretty much on the straight and narrow.)
I was so thrilled when I heard that Semi-Sweet was going to the United States; the first of my books to make the long trip across the Atlantic Ocean. I’ve been to the States quite a few times myself—in fact I wrote my first novel, The Daisy Picker, in my brother’s house in San Francisco—but any future trips will be sweetened with the possibility that I could walk into a bookstore and see one of my babies on the shelves.
I do hope you enjoyed Semi-Sweet half as much as I enjoyed writing it. I hope it made you hungry—and if it made you cry, too, my work here is done. For both conditions I would highly recommend a batch of cupcakes, preferably homemade. And when you’ve polished off the lot, dry your eyes and get out your walking shoes.
Reading Group Guide
Discussion Questions
At the very beginning of the novel, we learn that Hannah is about to start her own business right in the middle of a recession—a daunting challenge. Do you admire Hannah for her decision, or do you think she is taking on more than she can handle? In what ways have you challenged yourself professionally? What is the biggest risk you’ve ever taken in your professional life?
Soon after Patrick leaves Hannah for Leah, he begins to daydream about his life with Hannah. Why do you th
ink he left Hannah? Do you think he would have left her if his circumstances had been different? Has Patrick changed in any way by the end of the novel?
Hannah and Patrick seem like polar opposites. Why do you think Hannah fell for him in the first place, and why does she have such a difficult time getting over him? Have you ever had your heart broken? How long did it take you to heal?
What is your opinion of Leah? Do you think she is manipulative, or do you sympathize with her?
Alice has concerns about her husband’s drinking, but she doesn’t take any action until it is too late. Should she have done more to curb his drinking earlier on? Have you ever been close to somebody with a substance abuse problem? How did you handle it?
Hannah and Adam have always been best friends, yet they have never been romantically involved. Do you think their relationship is believable? Is it possible to be just friends with someone of the opposite sex?
Vivienne is not conventionally attractive. Why is Adam attracted to her? Why does he pursue her with such determination?
For much of the novel, Leah and Fiona have an uneasy relationship. Why is Fiona critical of Leah? Do you think she is too hard on her daughter, or do you understand where she is coming from? Do you think most mother-daughter relationships are similarly complicated and fraught?
John seems like an ideal match for Hannah. She thinks to herself: He was perfect on paper, he was doing everything right. Her feelings would deepen, given time. She was sure of it. Does Hannah end up falling for John? What happens between them? In your opinion, how important is chemistry in a relationship?
How does Alice handle Jason’s death? Do you think she is too hard on Tom? Or do you think she is too easy on him? Is there a “right” way to grieve or to make sense of such a tragic event?
How are Nora and Patrick similar? How are they different? Do you think Nora is a bad person? Does she get what she deserves at the end of the novel?
Semi-Sweet takes place in a small Irish town where everyone seems to know one another. In what way does setting play a role in the novel? Do you think the Clongarvin community has changed in any significant way by the end of the novel? Why or why not?
About the Author
ROISIN MEANEY was born in Listowel, County Kerry, Ireland. She has lived in the United States, Canada, Africa, and Europe. In 2002, Roisin won the Tivoli “Write a Bestseller” competition with her first novel, The Daisy Picker, which was subsequently followed by Putting Out Stars. Roisin is currently based in Limerick, Ireland. Semi-Sweet is her seventh book.
Contents
Hannah Robinson’s Carrot and Fig Cupcakes Recipe
Title Page
Dedication
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
Thanks a Million
How Not to Write a Novel
Reading Group Guide
About the Author
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Copyright © 2010 by Roisin Meaney
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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First eBook Edition: April 2011
ISBN: 978-1-455-50050-5
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