Blurb: Edwina Spinner has lived in the same house for over fifty years.
It used to be a busy, crowded family home but now Edwina lives alone and it has grown too big for her. She has decided to sell it.
The young estate agent who comes to value the house sees potential. Knock down a few walls, add a wet room. ‘People like a project.’ But as Edwina takes him from room to room, she is transported back to her old life as a young mother. Back to her first husband Ollie and their twins, James and Rowena. Back to lies and dark secrets and to a stepson whose name Edwina cannot even bear to speak aloud.
As Edwina’s story unravels she is revealed as a complex and intriguing person. Not just the ‘frail old lady’ trapped in her dated house, but a woman who has lived an extraordinary life, full of love and tragedy. Why is she now so alone? What happened to Edwina’s family all those years ago?
Moving – Jenny Eclair’s fourth novel – reveals a writer at the height of her powers. Gripping, heart-breaking and laced with black humour, it is a novel of family secrets, shocking betrayals and most of all, of home.
My Review: I don’t read much contemporary fiction, but had heard lots of good things about this book in particular – so obviously with a case of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) I had to read it. The story is told in 3 parts with 3 different narrators. I found it an emotional and enjoyable easy read.
About The Author: Jenny Eclair is an English comedian, author and actor. She has appeared on numerous tv shows, most notably Grumpy Old Women, and Loose Women, performed on stage and hosted her own radio shows. She continues to tour her one woman stand up shows throughout the UK and was the first female comic to win The Edinburgh Fringe Perrier Award, in 1995.
She has written three novels, as well as contributed to many comedic anthologies.
Genre – Contemporary – Chick-Lit – Read April 2016
