Graeme Simsion & Anne Buist – Two Steps Forward (Literature Review)

Two Steps Forward is the new mature romantic comedy novel from beloved Australian authors, Graeme Simsion (The Rosie Project) and Anne Buist (Medea’s Curse).

Zoe’s an artist, grieving for her husband, who died unexpectedly. Martin’s an engineer recovering from a messy divorce. Both find themselves in Cluny, France, and in the tradition of millions of pilgrims from around the world, they embark upon La Camino de Santiago – a journey lasting thousands of kilometres – in the hope of discovering the answers they so desperately seek.

Previously, I have found books by numerous authors tough to read. As such, I usually give them a wide berth. The flow is so important and in creating one cohesive story, you will often find that one author’s voice is more dominant over the other.

Two Steps Forward is, for me, a novel of two main plotlines: “the enlightenment storyline” and “the romantic plotline.” While the “enlightenment storyline” works quite well, and the two authors’ styles seem to flow quite well, the “romantic plotline” just seems a little undercooked. For me, the characters’ incompatibility is so obvious that the idea of them as romantic partners seems forced.

In my opinion, the story would have benefited from a stronger focus on Zoe taking up Martin’s offer of friendship and companionship, rather than seeing him as a new love interest, particularly so soon after her husband’s passing. This would be effective in reinforcing what should have been the book’s main focus: the characters overcoming their problems and coming together in friendship to face the future with a new outlook, rather than lingering on a romantic undertone that just doesn’t work.

I approached Two Steps Forward not knowing what to expect, but with high hopes, given the authors’ reputations. And I think this was my main problem. This novel is okay, but is missing that something extra to make it really shine.