Moving story of loneliness and ageing with a prickly pensioner that is refreshingly unsentimental!
The protagonist of Beth Morrey’s unexpectedly heart-warming debut is seventy-nine-year-old Millicent (Missy) Carmichael. Aloof, stubborn and always looking to take offence, she is crippled by loneliness and finds herself turning to the bottle as she contemplates her life in the home where she raised a family. But with Leo, her husband of over sixty years now gone, her son and grandson having emigrated and and a fractious relationship with her recently estranged daughter, Missy has more than a few regrets. In the hope of finding something interesting to share in an email with her son Missy ventures out to the park and ends up speaking to two women. Effusive interior designer Sylvie invites her for coffee along with outspoken and potty-mouthed Angela, a journalist with a four-year-old son called Otis. Fearful of being seen as a burdensome old biddy, Missy declines but having connected with two locals she is ‘adopted’ and finds her horizons broadening. Reluctant to be seen as needy but overjoyed to be spending time with Otis, a potential replacement for her own grandson, Missy soon finds herself reluctantly agreeing to look after a dog named Bob.
Thrust into a world of dog walkers and slowly but surely being won over by mongrel Bob, Missy’s canine companion takes her out the house and is the non-judgemental listener she needs. Harbouring regrets and pondering words left unsaid, Missy’s small, lonely existence gradually begins to expand and brings with it the unexpected joy of friendship. Still to confront her argument with daughter Melissa and come to terms with the decisions made in her earlier years it is the support of her new friends that gives Missy the courage to tackle the memories left unconfronted and reach out to Melissa. Narrated in the first person by Missy its gives the reader direct access to her thoughts and observations. Alternate chapters see Missy reflecting on her past experiences which gives a real sense of what has shaped her and makes many of her eccentricities understandable. Having devoted herself to supporting her husband’s career and raising their family it meant Missy put aside her own years of dedicated study and first class Classics degree.
Missy’s first-person reminisces see her in childhood, her student years at Cambridge and inaugural meeting with Leo right through to her struggles in the early years of motherhood. Missy’s observations are clear-eyed and reveal a far more vulnerable woman than the present day version would lead you to believe. It is this level of depth and the complete absence of mawkishness that made Saving Missy an uplifting read and whilst the final revelation makes for a bittersweet denouement my overriding memory is one of the power of friendship and optimism. My main reservation is that throughout the story Missy feels like a character a decade younger than her seventy-nine-years but aside from this the characterisation is superb. Angela is developed with the same attention to detail as Missy and despite their contrasting personalities I found the bond that they fostered one of the highlights of the novel. Moreover Missy’s reflections on her past convey a vivid sense of Leo and brings the past alive, making for an involving and life-affirming read.
Thrust into a world of dog walkers and slowly but surely being won over by mongrel Bob, Missy’s canine companion takes her out the house and is the non-judgemental listener she needs. Harbouring regrets and pondering words left unsaid, Missy’s small, lonely existence gradually begins to expand and brings with it the unexpected joy of friendship. Still to confront her argument with daughter Melissa and come to terms with the decisions made in her earlier years it is the support of her new friends that gives Missy the courage to tackle the memories left unconfronted and reach out to Melissa. Narrated in the first person by Missy its gives the reader direct access to her thoughts and observations. Alternate chapters see Missy reflecting on her past experiences which gives a real sense of what has shaped her and makes many of her eccentricities understandable. Having devoted herself to supporting her husband’s career and raising their family it meant Missy put aside her own years of dedicated study and first class Classics degree.
Missy’s first-person reminisces see her in childhood, her student years at Cambridge and inaugural meeting with Leo right through to her struggles in the early years of motherhood. Missy’s observations are clear-eyed and reveal a far more vulnerable woman than the present day version would lead you to believe. It is this level of depth and the complete absence of mawkishness that made Saving Missy an uplifting read and whilst the final revelation makes for a bittersweet denouement my overriding memory is one of the power of friendship and optimism. My main reservation is that throughout the story Missy feels like a character a decade younger than her seventy-nine-years but aside from this the characterisation is superb. Angela is developed with the same attention to detail as Missy and despite their contrasting personalities I found the bond that they fostered one of the highlights of the novel. Moreover Missy’s reflections on her past convey a vivid sense of Leo and brings the past alive, making for an involving and life-affirming read.