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Fiction to care about

My rating:  5 out of 5

The three main characters in this wonderful novel are all harbouring dreams for the future.  Matty, about 70 years old, is longing to find someone from her past.  Henry is looking for the sister he last saw about 50 years ago and Janice dreams of bringing positive change to the world of psychiatric long term residential care. 

Matty is a wonderful character who puts a positive slant on everything, and keeps herself busy entertaining her house guests, always being polite and welcoming even when her guests are  somewhat trying.  As the reader learns more of Matty’s past, so her present makes more and more sense, and I found myself really hoping that the book would have a happy ending.    Henry’s whole life is on hold until he finds his sister – will he find her and therefore find peace.  Janice discovers that her ideas are not always appreciated by her superiors at work, and is worried that something she did recently may be found out.

The action takes place in Cumbria in the late 1980s/early 1990s, when steps are being taken to get residents of long term residential care back into the community, with flashbacks to earlier times.   Set among the world of long stay psychiatric hospitals there are some hard hitting moments, but as a whole this is a book of kindness, positivity and hope.     

5*s for this “fiction to care about” – and reading it I really cared about Matty and became involved with Henry.   The further I got into the book, the more I hoped all would turn out happily at the end. 

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Other book/s I have read, and reviewed, by this author (click on book cover to see review) :