Books like Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

Ask Again, Yes follows two rookie NYPD officers, Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, who live next door to each other in a quiet suburban town. Behind closed doors, the emotional strains of their marriages—Francis’s wife Lena’s loneliness and Brian’s wife Anne’s instability—set the stage for the novel’s dramatic events. The story centers on the lifelong friendship and romance that develops between Francis’s daughter Kate and Brian’s son Peter. Over four decades, the novel examines how childhood memories are reshaped by adulthood, revealing the redemptive force of forgiveness amid family life and the complexities of love. Rich in detail, the book examines the bonds between the families, the daily intimacies of marriage, and how a tragedy reverberates across time, ultimately celebrating tenderness, generosity, and grace.

First publish date: 2019