Saving Missy
Saving Missy
By Beth Morrey
A story filled with, love, loss, the unsaid and the power of an unlikely friendship.
Book review, no spoilers I swear!
Published by HarperCollinsPublishers 2020 (Hardback)
What can I say about this book other than it is utterly brilliant. This was a book that made me feel so much and is a book that we could all learn from. But before I tell you anymore of how much I loved this book perhaps I should tell you what it is about.
The Blurb:
Missy Carmichael's life has become small.
Grieving for a family she has lost or lost touch with, she's haunted by the echoes in her empty home; the sound of the radio in the dark; the tick-tick-tick of the watching clock.
Spiky and defensive, Missy knows that her loneliness is all her own fault. She deserves no more than this; not after what she's done. But a chance encounter in the park with two very different women opens the door to something new.
Another life beckons for Missy, if only she can be brave enough to grasp the opportunity. But seventy-nine is too late for a second chance. Isn't it?
My Thoughts:
Morrey's writing is refreshing and so raw that when I was reading it I felt what Missy felt and connected with her and the other characters in the book.
Missy Carmichael is a woman filled with regret. Someone who has experienced a life full of love, loss, anger and guilt. Emotions I'm sure all of us have felt in our lives which is why this book was so lovely to read. It is a breath of fresh air that when I was reading it, I forgot it was a book. It felt so real and so relevant that I think everyone should have this book on there to read piles.
We first find Missy as this lonely old lady who is stuck in her own world feeling sorry for herself, living in a house which reflects the history of her life. Its not until one fateful day when Missy takes a walk in the park when she comes across Sylvie and Angela. Both women are very different in personalities.
Angela is an Irish, foul-mouthed single mum of the delightful Otis who Missy forms an attachment to. The unlikely friendship takes Missy by surprise, for better? She does not know. The intrusion of Angela and Sylvie in Missy's life is both a blessing and a curse as she soon finds herself doing the things she thought she was too old for.
The story flips back from the present to events of Missy's past. From being child to meeting her great love, becoming a mother and finally to where we found her at the beginning of the book.
With the help of new friends Missy's small and quiet life begins to become a little bigger with her doing the unexpected.
This is an uplifting read that will take you on a roller-coaster of emotions. It is also a read that teaches you the importance of friendship and that its never too old to teach an old bird new tricks.
I shall leave it there because there is so much I could talk about but it wouldn't give this book any justice, all you need to know is that Saving Missy has everything in it, love, loss, friendship, loneliness, heartbreak, grief and guilt. Its got a lot!
Saving Missy is one of my top reads of this year and is a brilliant debut by Beth Morrey. I'm excited for what the future holds for this author.
Rating: 5* out of 5
After all tomorrow is another day spent reading,
Till next time,
Stay safe,
Phoebe x