There is a deep sense of loneliness and remoteness in Sue Gee's novel about a mother and daughter living on the Welsh border. This is a novel of two women living in close quarters whose lives couldn't be further apart. While Phoebe's life revolves in her gardening business, her daughter Gillian is an eccentric poet who lives in her world of words.
Both women will have changes in their lives when their town becomes home to some new residents, in particular Edward Sullivan, newly arrived from London.
I loved reading the passages of Gillian writing her poems and how the words come to her. I found the description of the smallest details in the book to be very poetic and beautifully described. What I didn't enjoy as much were the passages of Edward Sullivan and his work. To me this took away from a novel that is ultimately about a mother and daughter.
Gillian and Phoebe's world will be further disrupted by events that neither have any control over and it is the way they approach this event that is heartbreaking.
If you are looking for a book that explores the lives of mother's and daughter's this is a good one for you. If you just want to be immersed in a world that is very far from the hubbub of city life then read this.