The Stranger She Knew

Array Array * * * * * * Array May has been moved to a care home after her stroke. She can’t communicate, all her words are kept inside. If she tries to point, her arms swing in wild directions, if she tries to talk, strange noises come out of her mouth. May is sharp, quick, and funny, but only her daughter Jenny sees this, and Jackie, a new friend at the home who cares enough to look and listen closely. When May discovers that someone very familiar, from long ago, is living in the room opposite hers she is haunted by scenes from her earlier life, when she was a prisoner of her husband’s unpredictable rages. Bill, the man in the opposite room seems so much like her husband, though almost a lifetime has passed, and May’s eyesight isn’t what it was. As Bill charms his way through the nursing home, he focuses his romantic attention on Jackie, while all May can do is watch. She is determined to protect Jackie and keep herself safe, but what can she do in her vulnerable, silent state? * * * * * ‘A . . . An expert exploration of ageing, and mental health, and what happens to our faculties as we get older . . . ’ ‘A lovely book and one I . . . a recommended read’ ‘I dived in without knowing much about the story and I ended up loving it. It was ’ ‘I once I started it and I certainly wasn't expecting the ending. I shall be recommending this book’