A Close Connection

A Close Connection tells the story of Eleanor and Henry Nightingale and Paula and Alan Walker, two very different couples brought together by the marriage of Nicola, the Nightingales' daughter, to Matthew, the Walkers' son. Elegant and successful, Eleanor has turned a blind eye to her husband's infidelities for years; Paula lacks confidence and blames herself for the death of her daughter years ago, unlike her husband Alan who is laid back and not intimidated by the lifestyle of the Nightingales.� A holiday in Italy, intended to bring the four closer together, creates both bonds and rifts with long lasting effects. On their returning home, a health scare brings Eleanor's life into sharp focus and she calls on Paula, who will soon experience her own struggles, to help. Meanwhile, Nicola and Matthew's marriage is facing its own crisis point. Will these three marriages survive such turmoil? Eleanor is delighted when her daughter Nicola marries Matthew, a charming ambitious young man, but she is less enamored with his parents. The two couples may be connected by their children{u2019}s marriage, but they are poles apart: Paula works in a gift card shop, Alan is a driving instructor, and they live in a terraced house in Plymouth, whilst Eleanor and her husband Henry run a business in antiques and collectibles and share a grand property in Cornwall. Eleanor suggests a holiday in Italy so that the four of them can get to know each other and perhaps{u2014}although she doubts it{u2014}become friends. It takes much more than a mere holiday and some heartache before she and Paula eventually reach an understanding, and for their children, Nicola and Matthew, married life follows a tortuous path with the reappearance of an old girlfriend who causes havoc