January 8, 2023
Maureen by Rachel Joyce
The conclusion to The Harold Fry trilogy. Maureen is Harold's wife, prickly and somewhat literal minded. She is suspicious and has a hard time recognizing the goodness in others. For ten years, since Queenie Hennessey's death, she has been obsessing over Queenie's sea garden, after Harold's friend Kate wrote to tell them that Queenie had made a memorial to Harold and Maureen's son David. Maureen is actually outraged, convinced that Queenie wanted to "take" first Harold and then David from her. Finally Harold tells Maureen that she has to go see the garden to understand Queen and move on with their lives.
A novella rather than a full-length novel. Maureen is not as likeable as Harold or Queenie. She has difficulty connecting with people she does not know and is so deep in her own grief that she cannot fathom that others are grieving as well. When she first meets Kate, she cannot get beyond the clutter and dirt of Kate's home to see the kind, caring person that Kate is. Having grown up without love, Maureen has difficulty loving others and being loved, but Harold sees the sweetness in her. On her journey, Maureen finds answers to questions she didn't know she had. A lovely conclusion to the trilogy.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.
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