I picked up this book ages ago and dismissed it based on the back cover blurb - thinking that it wouldn't be the kind of book for me: too real-world and mundane, when I read to escape that!

However I had to read it for this month's Book Group, and I just INHALED it! At first I was frankly a touch jealous of the lead character: retired, just spending her time painting and walking the dogs, cooking and drinking, avoiding company like she's a military commander defending a siege to maintain this solo serene lifestyle. Her cantankerousness won me over, she very much reminds me of Stephanie Cole's character in the 90s sitcom "Waiting for God" - a strong willed perfectly capable and independent highly vocal retiree resisting everyone's efforts to protect and control her.

It's quickly revealed she's three messy alcohol-fueled years into grieving the death of her husband, shunning people to avoid them from reminding and commiserating her about her loss - a touching contradiction as she spends most of her time talking to different photos of her husband that she has placed around the house.

Somehow by the time new neighbours arrive and accidentally insert themselves into her life, I was completely invested in her journey through grief and reconnecting to the rest of the world - purely on the strength of this lovely and grumpy main character.