Penny Parkes

Anna, a full-time house/pet-sitter, returns to Oxford for her best friend’s wedding. This story alternates between Anna’s present-day house-sitting experiences and her past, growing up in the foster system and then attending Oxford.

I read this in fits and starts. On one hand, Anna is the sort of character I want for a fictional friend -- she’s a similar age, she’s bookish and she likes dogs. Her experiences are a mixture of relatable and yet unfamiliar and fascinating -- I’ve done the odd bit of house/pet-sitting but the closest I’ve been to fancy British people’s homes is watching BBC drama or Grand Designs.

On the other hand, every so often I’d cringe away from a patch of dialogue that struck me as almost-but-not-quite realistic, as if the author had captured the sense of what people would say but not the exact words they’d use. And I’d put the book down and ponder the differences between “realistic” and “unconvincing”, and the possibility of cultural differences… and the cover’s blurb from AJ Pearce…

But I kept coming back, and look, AJ Pearce is right, this is “moving, hopeful and heartfelt”. Especially for its portrayal of friendship. That was unexpectedly lovely. It also has thoughtful things to say about the foster system and about homes.

“But you’re a grown-up.” Callie frowned.
“I’m a work in progress,” Anna corrected her. “I’m constantly surprised by the difference some inspiration, a mentor, a little timely insight into how the world works can make. I guess I try to keep an open mind and hope the answers present themselves.”… (mehr)