"Suddenly Single" By Sheila O'Flanagan.

The title is self explanatory.

The question however, is who and why.

 

This book uses one woman and her problems to represent what women have to deal with in the 21^st Century. For example, when Alix Flanagan, the leading female character has a high flying job, her own flat and a long term boyfriend, Paul, her life seems so perfect. So when she drops the bombshell that she doesn’t want family with him yet due to her successful job, he drops her from his life.

 

Now she’s suddenly single.

 

I find this interesting because times have changed completely. Back in the 1950’s, men were the breadwinners and the women were the broody housewives. Now, the women are equal in bringing money in as the men are more family orientated.  But now the different sexes have a change of opinion and lifestyle. The modern times woman seems to struggle with weighing out either motherhood or career and only having to pick just one. It seems like women aren’t fortunate enough to have both nowadays. In Alix’s situation, it looks like that Paul wanted to be with a more “traditional” woman because he felt “broody”.

 

Now, I’m not a feminist and think “who needs men” but as a woman myself, we’ve all been socialised when we were all younger to have a job, spouse and children in society otherwise it isn’t considered the “norm”. But this is the 21^st Century now, when people remind us that our biological clock is ticking by making “tick, tick” noises like Alix is by her mother, it puts pressure on women and it limits their career span and I feel that its unfair.

 

Women have choices in life. They don’t need dictatorship, just time to be on their side.