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And Now Back to You by BK Borison

“You’re not difficult”, she says quietly, “You just haven’t had anyone take care of you”

Of course, nothing runs smoothly because not only is the weather most inclement¹ but Jackson (the radio meteorologist) and Delilah (the TV meteorologist² ) are also in their own way due to the absence of certain parental figures and the damage that came from growing up with that.

Jackson is organised because he has to be. He’s uncomfortable outside of his routine whereas Delilah embraces chaos and tries to make the best of most every situation she’s in. Both of them have that as a core of their character because they have to. It’s how they square their shoulders and keep going through life’s muddles and upsets.

The story then is about how they navigate each other and move from side eyeing one another’s foibles in the car park between the radio station he works at and the TV station Delilah is part of to reaching an understanding so they can do their joint job and how they find out more about the other and realise they like who’s under there.
They’re on a journey to opening up and allowing themselves to be vulnerable which is never easy especially when both characters, although surrounded by people who care and love them, have people on the periphery of their lives who have not been there, who’ve made that vulnerability feel like an embarrassing misstep.

It’s a very tender book as Jackson and Delilah become emotionally, and later physically, close as the storm progresses and they’re hunkering down at the lodge between their joint broadcasts.
How they treat one another, how they take care of the other is laid before us, the gestures, the touches, the small things that lay the foundations for relationships and closeness because sometimes it can be someone holding your hand in solidarity when you’re nervous or handing you a bag of your favourite snacks that keeps you going through a tough day or makes you smile and bounce internally. Those are the gestures and actions that can mean more than anything else because they mean you’re seen by the other person and because you matter to them, then they make sure you have what you need when you need it.

It’s a story too that emphasises the importance of caring for each other and the relationships we form with family and friends: Jackson and his co-worker and friend, Aiden; Jackson and Lucie whose story is told in First Time Caller; Jackson and his boss Maggie; Jackson and his younger sisters, twins in their teens; Delilah and her grandfather; Delilah and her co-worker and friend Gianna; Delilah and so many people that she comes in contact with who warm to her openness and her ability to make even the ridiculous seeming assignments look like fun.

There’s good humour in those relationships, there’s love and affection even when they’re calling each other out or side eyeing one another because at the end of the day they all want what’s best for each other and don’t want to see their friends hurt or upset.

I enjoyed this book. There are no huge surprises but you don’t necessarily need those in a story that’s about two people trying to be better for the people they love. It’s about Jackson and Delilah’s journeys, not just together but how they grow and navigate as individuals so they can be the best couple they can, and sometimes that’s exactly the kind of story you need these days.

Title: And Now Back to You
Author: BK Borison
Publisher: Pan Books 2026

1. as an Irish person unused to winter blizzards that aren’t of the rain and wind variety, the thought of all that snow landing out of the sky makes this akin to a horror story of sorts also) ↩︎
2. at least that’s what she started off doing at the TV station, her weather presenting is taking a back seat to whatever her boss decides he wants to throw at her odd story wise ↩︎