Watermelon

If you were to take a crash course on chick lit, Watermelon, by Marian Keyes, would be required reading. This début novel begins with Claire in the hospital, where she has just given birth to her first child a few minutes before her husband arrives to tell her that he’s leaving her for another woman. Claire’s subsequent breakdown and rebuilding of her life is by turns heart-breaking and inspiring, and it’s also heart-warming and really funny. Even the saddest, most tragic scenes are interspersed with humor – sometimes gentle, sometimes black – which make this a joy to read again and again.