The Love of My Life

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER | GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK

"Gripping, heartbreaking and impossible to put down."-Laura Dave

"A dazzling supernova of a book, it picks you up on line one and doesn't let you go until the very end." -Lisa Jewell

From the New York Times bestselling author of Ghosted comes a love story wrapped in a mystery: an up-all-night page-turner with a dark secret at its core

Emma loves her husband Leo and their young daughter Ruby: she'd do anything for them. But almost everything she's told them about herself is a lie.

And she might just have got away with it, if it weren't for her husband's job. Leo is an obituary writer; Emma a well-known marine biologist. When she suffers a serious illness, Leo copes by doing what he knows best - researching and writing about his wife's life. But as he starts to unravel the truth, he discovers the woman he loves doesn't really exist. Even her name isn't real.

When the very darkest moments of Emma's past finally emerge, she must somehow prove to Leo that she really is the woman he always thought she was ...

But first, she must tell him about the other love of her life.

From the publisher

Penguin Random House/ Penguin Books | Jan 17, 2023 | 384 pages | ISBN:9780593297018 | Suspense & Thriller

1. In Emma and Leo we initially see a devoted couple with a deep and seemingly genuine connection. To what extent do you believe it is possible for a happy relationship to be founded on colossal untruths? Is it possible to love someone and not really know who they are?

2. This novel features betrayal, deceptions, and outright lies. Whose actions-or inactions-do you think were the most harmful, and why?

3. Emma's postpartum psychosis places her in an extremely vulnerable position, which allows Janice to make a decision that changes the course of several lives. What do you think pushed Janice to make such a choice? Discuss.

4. Leo decides he wants to be with Emma even once he learns the full truth, despite her deceptions. Would you have made the same choice? Why or why not?

5. At times Leo tends to put Emma on a pedestal. But when the truth finally comes out, she says to him, "Life made sense again, when I met you, Leo. I remembered why people wanted to live." Do you think he has ever believed she loves and needs him every bit as much he loves and needs her?

6. The moment at which Emma finally meets her adult son is one of the most charged of her life, a longed-for event she had all but given up on. How do you think mother and son handle this moment? Do you feel hopeful for their emerging relationship at the end of the novel?

7. The crab Emma seeks throughout her career proves elusive until the very end. Do you think this is a metaphor? If so, for what?

8. The title of the book-The Love of My Life-implies that Emma has only one true love, but her circumstances throughout the novel indicate something very different. Who do you think is the "real" love of her life, or is there more than one?

Book Club Talking Points:
This book is a fantastic choice for a book club because it sparks plenty of discussion long after you've finished reading. You'll find yourself debating the main character, Leo-was he justified in his actions? And what about her past? There are many twists and surprising moments that will keep the conversation lively. With a mix of romance and mystery, there's something for everyone to enjoy!

"Let's put it this way, if it weren't for work I would have been able to finish this book in a day." -Lama Hasan, ABC News

"Combining the gripping pace of a psychological thriller with the tenderness and sorrow of a love story gone wrong, this one's a winner." -People, Book of the Week

"The Love of My Life is a dazzling supernova of a book, it picks you up on line one and doesn't let you go until the very end. Each chapter is filled with heart-breaking twists and revelations, and it is brimming with human warmth and intelligence." -Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Night She Disappeared

"Readers won't be able to stop turning the pages to see how the past and present inevitably collide in Rosie Walsh's latest. The Love of My Life is a poignant love story, a propulsive mystery and a cautionary tale about the secrets we keep. I couldn't put it down." -Greer Hendricks, New York Times bestselling author of You Are Not Alone

"Walsh's hugely compelling The Love of My Life instantly pulls you deep into the interior of a marriage. Part thriller, part mystery, part heart-wrenching love story, this is a treasure for book clubs everywhere." -Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push

"Rosie Walsh's The Love of My Life is my favorite kind of thriller-gripping, heartbreaking and impossible to put down." -Laura Dave, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Last Thing He Told Me

"A bruising and beautiful mystery that kept me guessing till the very end, The Love of My Life delivers on every level. I'm a huge fan of Rosie Walsh." -Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin At The End

"How do we really build a new life? About the mystery of identity and the sometimes cost of love, Walsh's latest is a stunner." -Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of and With or Without You

"The Love of My Life is an extraordinary novel. Rosie Walsh combines the emotional punch of the best of romance with the page-turning twists of the most masterful thrillers. I was torn between pausing to weep, and ploughing on to solve the mysteries." -Clare Pooley, New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project