Book Review: The Keeper of Stories

 

Sally Page's debut novel is a treaure of a read. Ms Page was a florist in the UK, and she heard so many stories about the lives of her customers that it inspired her to write a novel. 

The person who is the keeper of stories in the book is Janice, a cleaner in the UK, outside of London. Janice hears the stories of the people whose homes she cleans, and she makes a habit of keeping those stories in her mind. Janice has her own story that she allows no one to see, even shutting it away from herself most of the time. 

Her husband flits from job to job, and her marriage is not a good one. Janice's days are filled with the people she cleans for. A retired opera singer, a wealthy couple whom she does not like but agrees to add walking their dog to her other duties, a single woman who has a friend that visits frequently, a new widow and her 12 year old son, and later, Miss B, an elderly woman who is the mother of the dog's owner. Added to these people is Euan, a bus driver who Janice thinks looks like a geography teacher. As time goes on with the daily  bus rides, a friendship blossoms between the two. 

It is cantankerous Miss B who digs deep to learn Janice's own story. They become friends, not just cleaner and employer. 

The characters are alive and interesting, even the dog. Their stories are all different, and Janice has a variety of responses to her clients. Some she loves, a few she detests, and her aim is to give help where it is needed as she learns their stories. But what of her own story? That, she keeps well hidden until she finally finds a way to bring it to the surface and face her past. 

The book, published in January of 2023, is well written, filled with humor and emotion. This reader found herself cheering for some and silently growling at others. Janice knows that it is from peoples' stories that you get to know them. Why then, is she reluctant to unlock her own story? 

The author delivers a good sense of place along with the well-developed characters. She made me feel like I was visiting the UK and inspired me to consider the stories of others, as well as my own.

I enjoyed this book and think many others will, as well. Check your local bookstore, Amazon, or your library to find it. My library did not have the book, so I asked them to purchase it. They were quite willing to do so, and I was the first to read it. I look forward to more of Sally Page's work.