et in London, The Time is Now, Monica Sparrow by Australian author Matt Howard, is a tale of lives muted by loss yet it isn't a dreary book. Monica, whose car accident killed her brother Caleb on his 18th birthday, has become a hoarder, stuffing her flat with useless possessions; Diane, her sister has cultivated an abrasive personality (and a rare talent in droll one-liners); and her stepbrother Jamie the afterthought has almost obliterated himself as a presence. In his case, it's partly because the family was lumbered with him when Father couldn't cope with the grief and debunked to his lady-love so that her son Jamie was surplus to requirements. Mother is sliding into dementia, as if life is not worth remembering anyway.

The catalyst for change is Xavier, a minimalist so minimal that he signs his name with an 'X', prompting one of his co-workers to comment that people will think he's illiterate. Which would be droll, because Xavier is an editor at Wyatt Dean, a London publishing company. He has but one author to nurture, the arrogant Tobias Balfour who churns out a bestseller each year, but Xavier acquires the task of editing Monica's transition from self-publishing to print because Jacob, his boss, is Diane's husband. (Clearly, the author's personal experience in the publishing industry provides authentic fodder for his novels! In-house publishing politics seem fascinating... are they really like that, I wonder?)

Well, it turns out that Monica is not the only hidden talent, but to say more would be to spoil the plot.

Howard's style is spare, but crafty in its allusions:

'Is Monica a writer of literary fiction?'
Xavier knew this to be unlikely if she was indeed a hit on the Internet; that meeting place for angry folk and nitpickers. A village square Xavier rarely visited. It was one of the chief reasons, along with public transport, that Xavier had decided that people were not for him.
'Commercial fiction,' Jacob Meneksk said, then added, 'Monica has several e-books for sale online already, but they'll need serious editing to work in print. She is currently writing another one which we will launch her with. She'll need help to keep the word count down. That's where you come in.'
Yasmin's next remark was almost gushing. 'Monica's female characters are central, however her male characters are also compelling.'
Something in the way she looked at Jacob as she said that caught Xavier's attention, but it was quickly shuffled aside as the realisation hit him: 'Romance fiction.' (p.24)

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/02/15/the-time-is-now-monica-sparrow-by-matt-howar... ( )