Waller Bridge is a gloriously talented writer and Fleabag is funny, refreshing and moving – everything that Sorrow and Bliss isn’t but wants so desperately to be. That’s like comparing The Tempest to Love Island because it’s got people in it and it’s set on an island.

A comparison with Fleabag is also heavily underlined. There are two large quotes highlighted on the front cover, one from Ann Patchett and the other from Jessie Burton – both female writers surfing a certain zeitgeist at the moment. The quotes on the inside cover are all from famous women, apart from a couple that are just attributed to a publication. It’s targeted at women readers so single-mindedly that it might as well have a pink cover. Many of these books represent a triumph of marketing over substance and I’m afraid Sorrow and Bliss is another that disappoints.

But there’s more than sour grapes to this less than enthusiastic review. And, of course, I wouldn’t be complaining if one of my books was at the centre of such a fabricated whirlwind of interest. Then you get tweets and Instagram posts from influencers saying how wonderful it was, to which in their turn, in the time -honoured, strange, traditions of twitter, followers gush back, agreeing how amazing it was and the churn of interest continues. Sorrow and Bliss is one of those much-touted novels that seem to gain traction in the Spring so that many people select them as one of their Summer holiday reads.

Sorrow and bliss book review